The cruise season in Brazil closed the first month with more than 50 thousand travelers. The expectation is that 360 thousand people will get to know one of the 106 itineraries offered by May of next year.
Restarted after 20 months of stoppage, the season should generate R$ 1.7 billion in the Brazilian economy, with the generation of R$ 330 million in taxes and 24 thousand direct and indirect jobs, according to the Brazilian Association of Maritime Cruises (Clia Brasil) .
The flow is already altering the scenarios of the piers across the country. Rio de Janeiro, for example, receives this Monday (13) a ship with 2,835 people, who will spend the day in the city. The vehicle left Santos, on the coast of São Paulo, and leaves at night for Itajaí, in Santa Catarina.
The Rio de Janeiro capital alone should receive 165,000 passengers during the season, with a turnover of more than R$250 million. The recovery is taking place with much more modest numbers than in the period before the pandemic. Between 2019 and 2020, 357,000 people passed through the city of Rio. For the period between 2020 and 2021, the expectation was 400,000 people, frustrated by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Faced with the news of a new variant in the country, with ten confirmed cases of Ômicron, cruises try to surround themselves with care to avoid further stoppages. By determination of Anvisa, ships can only circulate with 75% capacity, daily testing of 10% of passengers and daily communication about the health situation on board.
Unlike the discussion on the passport for vaccines for airports, which had a new chapter with the determination of the STF for the requirement for those arriving in the country, cruises already circulate with mandatory proof.
The president of the Brazilian Association of Maritime Cruises, Marco Ferraz, said that it is impossible to have complete assurance that the new variant will not infect any traveler, but highlighted that Anvisa’s protocols are very strict and the possibility of infection is minimal on ships.
“All the spaces on the ships were resized to meet new needs, such as the distance of 1.5 meters. We went through Beta, Delta and now Ômicron and all protocols minimize the possibility of any infection. Of course, it is impossible to have a 100% guarantee, but the chance is minimal”, he stated.
*With information from Mylena Guedes
Reference: CNN Brasil
