Research shows that the cruise sector has grown 7.6%, and 33.7 thousand jobs have been created.
A research undertaken by the Cruise Lines International Association Brazil (CLIA Brasil), in partnership with the Getulio Vargas Foundation (Fundação Getúlio Vargas – FGV), has presented a very interesting fact about tourism this last year: opposite to trips by air, touristic trips by ship along the Brazilian coastline have registered a considerable increase, even during a period marked by the beginning of an economic crisis. The sector was responsible for injecting R$2.24 billion into the country’s economy between 2019/2020, which represents an increase of 7.6% in comparison with the 2018/2019 season.
Considering the eight ships available to tourists, the number of travelers during the period was of 470 thousand people aboard. The cruise passengers sailed to 15 destinations along the Brazilian coastline (Santos, Rio de Janeiro, Búzios, Salvador, Ilha Grande, Ilhabela, Ilhéus, Recife, Maceió, Angra dos Reis, Porto Belo, Cabo Frio, Ubatuba, Itajaí and Balneário Camboriú), as well as visiting three cities in neighboring countries: Buenos Aires, in Argentina, and Montevideo and Punta del Este, in Uruguay.
According to the research by FGV and CLIA Brazil, the average expenditure per tourist – who remained an average of 5.2 days on board – was of R$ 3,256 on purchases during the trip. The average economic impact generated by passengers was of R$557.32 and, in that period alone, this type of tourism generated 33,745 direct and indirect jobs. Considering the tax burden, the tourist trips generated no more nor less than R$296 million for the National Treasury.
Among the sectors that most benefited from the expenditures by tourists and crew are: purchases and presents (R$335.2 million), food and drink (R$334.4 million), transportation (R$177.8 million), touristic trips (R$146 million), transportation in cities visited (R$71.3 million) and accommodation – before or after the cruise – (R$46.4 million). With regard to the tourists’ profile, 66.1% were on their first cruise, while the other 33.9% had already traveled before. 92% declared a wish to go on a new trip of the kind, and 87% even wanted to return to the same destinations.
