Mice Insights

By Viviane Vaz

Brussels, 1 August 2025, MICE INSIGHTS (Updated 2 August) Two transatlantic liners and an online platform are currently being considered as the accommodation solution for the United Nations Climate Change Conference to be held in November in Belém, Brazil. The host city is located within the Amazon rainforest region, acting as a gateway to the vast Amazon River system.

The Brazilian government is providing these ships, which can accommodate approximately 5,000 people, as a solution to the limited on-site accommodation in Belém. These ships will be docked in Outeiro Port and available from November 5 to 22, offering rooms for delegations, press, civil society groups, and international organizations.

The global event is expected to bring nearly every country to the table for pivotal climate talks, but the lodging shortages and soaring prices are leaving developing nations uncertain about their ability to participate.

According to diplomats, the United Nations climate bureau is raising alarms that exorbitant accommodation prices for this year’s COP30 summit in Brazil may prevent delegates from poorer nations from attending the crucial talks. In response to growing concerns, an urgent meeting of the COP Bureau was held on Tuesday, July 29, to address “operational and logistical preparations” for the Belém conference.

To host a COP (Conference of the Parties) summit, a country needs to demonstrate strong logistical, diplomatic, and environmental capabilities, as well as a commitment to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) process.

According to the Chair of the African Group of Negotiators, Richard Muyungi, who convened the gathering, Brazil committed to addressing the lodging issue and promised to provide a progress update at a follow-up session on August 11.

“We are not ready to cut down the numbers,” Muyungi said, referring to African nations’ concerns over limiting their participation due to high costs. “We were assured that we will revisit the issue on the 11th and get assurances on whether accommodation will be sufficient for all delegates.”

Diplomats present noted that both low- and high-income countries have expressed concerns about the steep prices. Belém, the host city, typically has just 18,000 hotel rooms, a far cry from the 45,000 delegates expected to attend COP30. To accommodate the influx, Brazil has chartered two cruise ships, adding 6,000 more beds, and set aside a block of rooms for developing countries at rates up to $220 per night.

However, even with the subsidized rates, the cost still exceeds the UN’s daily subsistence allowance of US$ 149, leaving a US$ 71 gap for delegates from low-income countries. Meanwhile, private properties in the area have been quoting prices as high as US$ 700 per person per night.

Several governments have yet to secure confirmed lodging for their delegations and are now considering scaling back attendance. The Dutch government, for instance, may reduce its typical 90-member delegation to about 45 people, while Poland’s deputy climate minister warned that they might “cut down the delegation to the bone” or even skip the summit if affordable rooms remain unavailable.

New host city?

COP30 President André Corrêa do Lago told the Brazilian press that countries have been pressuring Brazil to move the UN conference from Belém to another city. “There is a sense of outrage, especially from developing countries, who are saying they won’t be able to come to the COP because of the extortionate prices being charged,” Corrêa do Lago said.

“While in most cities where COPs have been held, hotels have started asking double or triple the normal rate, in the case of Belém, hotels are asking more than 10 times the normal rate,” Corrêa do Lago admitted. Brazilian law does not allow for caps on hotel rates. “What we can do is dialogue,” he stated.

Talking to the foreign press in Brazil, Corrêa do Lago denied yesterday the possibility of moving the UN event from Belém. “We’re not moving,” he said. “We’re going to ensure that the only issue being raised—hotel prices—can be overcome so that everyone can come to Belém.”

Online booking platform

The official COP30 website launched an online accommodation platform yesterday with over 2,700 rooms in apartments and houses for short-term rentals. “New apartments are being added as agencies update the platform daily,” the press release on the COP30 website states.

The daily rates currently offered are still well above the US$ 149 rate provided by the United Nations for low-income countries. The cheapest daily rate found so far on the online platform is US$ 360. Check it out at cop30.bnetwork.com.

Photo: Guajará Bay in Belém by Luciano Gemaque