Brazil official dismisses uptick in violence, says insecurity won't keep Olympic tourists away
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Brazil's tourism minister says he's not worried that a recent spike in violence in Rio de Janeiro may deter visitors from attending next year's Olympic Games in the city.
Vinicius Lages says studies have shown that insecurity is not a major worry for visitors.
After a years-long dip in levels of violence in the megacity of 12 million, Rio has seen a spike in insecurity, including recent highly publicized waves of deaths by stray bullets and mass robberies on its showcase beaches.
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Lages said "in all the studies we've done, security does not appear to be the problem."
He was speaking to reporters Tuesday on the sidelines of a two-day conference on the Olympics and tourism.