News A new visitor centre will open its doors in the heart of the Tijuca forest in Rio de Janeiro by the end of July, in time to welcome people who come to the city for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games The centre will serve as a gateway to the world-famous statue of Christ the Redeemer The centre is located on Corcovado mountain, just below Christ the Redeemer, and will contain a ticket office for those wishing to visit the statue Vans will run from the centre up to Christ The Paineiras Visitor Centre will also include an interactive exhibition about Tijuca National Park and Brazilian biodiversity, a souvenir shop and a large restaurant area An observation deck will provide panoramic views over the forest and the city of Rio de Janeiro The magnificent seven: Olympic hikes to take your breath away in Rio Rio favela hike offers alternative – and jaw-dropping – views of Olympic city The five most Instagram-able locations in Rio The centre occupies the building of the former Paineiras Hotel, which hosted celebrities from all over the world in its heyday After being left abandoned for over 30 years, the historic building has received a complete makeover in order to house the state-of-the-art visitor centre The project is an initiative of the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio), an arm of Brazil’s Ministry of the Environment, in partnership with the Paineiras-Corcovado consortium which manages road access to Christ the Redeemer  ICMBio is responsible for the preservation of Tijuca Forest, which contains some of Rio’s most famous natural and cultural treasures including Pedra da Gávea and Parque Lage as well as Corcovado An exhibition on Brazilian forests at the new visitor centre is designed to raise awareness about environmental conservation and Brazil's national parks The exhibition will display previously unseen drone photography and will help keep visitors entertained while they wait to visit Christ There will also be an area for children to play in Eating options at the centre will include a varanda with a 156-seat snack bar and a 260-seat buffet restaurant with an outdoor deckproviding breath-taking panoramic views of the forest and the Olympic city In the souvenir shop, visitors can expect to find the usual range of objects and gifts to commemorate their visit, including t-shirts, mugs, caps, pens and toys The Paineiras Visitor Centre is equipped to cater to any type of visitor, including people with an impairment or reduced mobility, pregnant women and the elderly The centre also contains a wastewater treatment centre, energy and water saving technologies and a recycling initiative that works in conjunction with neighbouring communities The centre is set to open in late July and will operate from 8am to 6pm For more information head over to the officals Paineiras-Corcovado website at www paineirascorcovado com br