According to Folha Online, Gay Pride is the second event which brings the most revenue to the city of São Paulo, right behind the Formula 1 Grand Prix. Estimates are that Pride weekend, which starts on the night of June 6, will generate R$135 million reais (roughly $70 million dollars) through hotels, restaurants, shopping, entertainment, and transportation.

Last year, only 13% of the 1.8 million people which attended the parade were tourists. 52% of them stayed at hotels. While foreigners spent 5 nights in the city, tourists from Brazil spent in average 3 days in São Paulo for the festivities. The fact that there is a national holiday this year on the Thursday prior to the parade will certainly motivate tourists to stay longer.

I have a feeling that Gay Pride weekend in São Paulo has the potential to grow to become a second Carnival in the country. The parties are certainly as ellaborate and put together as the ones thrown during Carnival, although there is none of the appeal of hanging out at the beach in Rio or Floripa. I still see little effort in promoting the event abroad, but hope that is about to change in the next couple of years as more international tourists start to attend.

FYI, I will be covering the event live on June 9 and 10 thanks to G Brazil. If you haven't booked a hotel yet, I highly suggest Blue Tree Towers Paulista, which is where most of the international DJs will be staying.