Belém city has 53,000 beds guaranteed for COP30 period
The Amazon city of Belém, in Pará state, has 53 thousand beds guaranteed for the period of the 2025 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30), scheduled for November, said Tourism Minister Celso Sabino on Tuesday (Aug. 19) in an interview with radio stations.
“We will have beds for everyone and we will have fair prices for everyone who comes to this COP,” he said.
“At last year’s COP in Azerbaijan, on the busiest day, we had 24 thousand people staying in the city of Baku. For Belém, the Brazilian government, in partnership with the private sector and with all the actions taken, already has more than 53 thousand beds guaranteed for the COP period,” he added.
The Brazilian government, he went on to say, is providing over 2,400 individual rooms so that the United Nations (UN) can accommodate its 196 member countries and parties, with rates starting at USD 100. The delegations were divided into two groups: those with lower and higher GDPs per capita.
“The first group will pay USD 100 to 200 per night. The second group, from countries with higher GDP per capita, will pay USD 200 to 600. Also, we have made an agreement with the hotels in Belém. They are guaranteeing us 10 to 20 percent of their rooms for a daily rate of USD 300.”
Abusive pricing
The minister also spoke about allegations of abusive pricing in daily accommodation rates, acknowledging the existence of this practice but stressing it is not the general rule.
“The market itself will take care of these abuses. In other words, with the large supply of beds, those who are charging too much for their beds will have two alternatives – they’ll either reduce prices or keep their properties unrented,” Minister Sabino said.
Social movements
When asked about the availability of beds reserved for social movements and organizations with limited budgets for the conference, the minister confirmed there are groups requesting to pay USD 50 per night to join the discussions during the event.
The minister announced that a group of international advisors has begun working to identify which delegations and entities are interested in attending the COP but have not yet been able to find accommodation, and to put them in touch with the accommodation facilities that the government already has in place on the COP30 platform.
“[This is] to ensure it’s not only the largest and most decisive COP ever held, but also the most inclusive COP ever held,” the minister concluded saying.
