Idyllic beaches, mountains splashed with emerald green rainforests and some of the world’s most beautiful colonial villages are the backdrop to one of the most exciting destinations of the year – Brazil.

And 2014 is shaping up to be its best year for tourism yet.

With the 2014 FIFA World Cup just around the corner and the Summer Olympics coming in 2016, Brazil is definitely on a lot of people’s hot lists right now.

Just last month, Lonely Planet crowned Brazil as the No. 1 destination for 2014 along with nine other unmissable destinations including Malawi, Scotland, Antartica, Macedonia, Sweden, Belgium, Mexico, the Seychelles and Malaysia.

Tourism authorities are predicting huge growth in hotel development opportunities across the country in the next decade, and this includes timeshare accommodation too.

All in all, an estimated 193,000 new hotel rooms are required to be built to meet demand before 2022.

The eye-opening statistics have emerged from a new report called Economic Transformation Drives Latin America’s Lodging Industry, sponsored by timeshare exchange specialists RCI and Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels.

Meanwhile, Rio de Janeiro is making a lot of “coolest cities to visit in 2014″ lists, with its main football stadium upgrade now completed (and ready to welcome 76,804 fans).

Must-not-miss Rio highlights include an afternoon on Ipanema beach, a visit to the Christ the Redeemer landmark, dinner in Santa Teresa, a cable car ride up the Sugar Loaf mountain, cocktails at one of Rio’s many vibrant bars and cafes and for the more adventurous, a favela tour.