Voices in the tourism sector are urging the Brazilian authorities to take action after a 57-year-old visitor was stabbed while cycling around a scenic lake just behind Ipanema beach.
Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas will be the site of the Olympic rowing and canoeing events next year.
The victim, doctor Jaime Gold, was stabbed in the arm and stomach as two teenagers struck. He later died from the injuries.
The incident was the latest in a series of stabbing attacks. Three stabbings have been reported so far in May alone as attempted muggings targeted a Vietnamese visitor, a Brazilian woman, and a German tourist.
“Unfortunately, violence has returned to be part of our daily routine,” said Alfredo Lopes, head of the Brazilian Hotel Industry Association.
“We have returned to the stage of alerts to visitors and episodes involving consulates with a focus on the lack of security.”
He blamed the Brazilian justice system for failing to give police sufficient powers to detain offenders.
“No economic activity suffers more from crime, from violence on the streets and the perception of insecurity than tourism,” he added.
Hoteliers fear that tourist numbers will dwindle because of fears over personal security.
Police reinforcements have been scheduled along with police checks on buses.
The security secretary for the area said such crime in a prime tourist area was “unacceptable”.
