'Rio 2016's success will be measured by organisational efficiency'

Brazil's success in the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games will be shown not only in the stadiums but also above all in the country's organisational efficiency, said President Dilma Rousseff, during the launch of the Olympic Year of Tourism here.

Rousseff on Wednesday highlighted the success of the 2014 FIFA World Cup when thousands of foreign and Brazilian tourists visited the host cities without any security or transport problems, Xinhua reported.

The country's airports received all the necessary investments to operate to perfection, so much so that 95 percent of international visitors expressed a desire to return to Brazil, remembered the president.

"In the World Cup we won all of the competitions out of the stadiums. We won the well-structured airport championship, the security championship, all because we were prepared. I would like to say that the Olympic Games' success will be measured by its organisation which I am sure will be impeccable," said Rousseff.

For the president, the Olympic Games Rio 2016 will be an important platform for expanding tourism in Brazil.

Even though the majority of the sporting activities will take place in Rio, some will take place in different states such as the football matches. These will take place in Manaus, Salvador, Brasilia, Belo Horizonte and Sao Paulo, said the president.

The Olympic Games should mobilise all of the Brazilian population, according to Rousseff.

"The Olympic Games will touch the imagination of every Brazilian. Firstly, because the Olympic torch will travel across 300 Brazilian municipalities in a 100-day ritual before the Games' opening ceremony," said the president.

"This will attract the people's attention and will allow us to show the world our vast territories natural beauty and cultural diversity," added Rousseff.

Rousseff also mentioned the importance of encouraging national travel with the aim of increasing internal demand.

"Brazil underwent a structural change in the last 13 years. When we look at the travel market in Brazil, we see that the number of people who previously didn't have access to this service, now do," said the president.

The Olympic Games Rio 2016 will take place from August 5 to 21 in 2016. Over one million foreign tourists are expected to arrive in the South American country for the quadrennial sporting extravaganza.