by Brian Major
Last updated: 3:17 PM ET, Fri October 22, 2021
Brazil's government has approved the relaunch of cruise tourism to the country in 2021 and 2022. Six combined vessels from the Costa Cruises and MSC Cruises fleets will offer departures from Brazil, with one sailing departing from Argentina and calling in Brazil.
The operators will offer 130 itineraries with 570 calls at Brazilian ports including Rio de Janeiro, Santos, Salvador, Angra dos Reis, Balneário Camboriú, Búzios, Cabo Frio, Fortaleza, Ilha Grande, Ilhabela, Ilhéus, Itajaí, Maceió, Porto Belo, Recife and Ubatuba, said Brazil Ministry of Tourism officials.
"The season was authorized by the government, which made all efforts so that we could allow the season to happen," said Gilson Machado Neto, Brazil's minister of tourism, "as ships generate thousands of direct and indirect jobs in Brazil."
Neto said the cruise calls will generate $500 million for Brazil's economy and create 40,000 direct and indirect jobs. The cruise lines will operate under protocols established by CLIA Brazil and utilized during the Costa and MSC cruises fleet's European service this summer.
The protocols include COVID-19 testing for all guests and testing of crew members before boarding in their home city, on arrival at the ship's destination and before boarding the ship. Crew member testing will take place weekly aboard ships. Vessels will operate at 70 percent of their maximum guest capacity, and mask-wearing and social distancing are required in public areas.
Additionally, "all entities will work with Brazil's National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) to implement additional procedures to ensure the safety of the entire operation, including new practices for guests, crew, ports, and destinations visited," officials said.
By the end of October, more than 100 million of the country's 211 million residents will have been fully vaccinated, which "directly impacts the control of the pandemic and the creation of a safe environment in the country," said Ministry officials.
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