Minister of Tourism of Brazil participates in the premiere of the ship Costa Diadema in Santos (SP)

The Minister of Tourism, Gilson Machado Neto, participated this Monday (20.12), in the Port of Santos, in São Paulo, in the debut ceremony of the ship Costa Diadema. The liner is one of the five that will travel the Brazilian coast in the 2021/2022 season, departing from the cities of Santos (SP) and Salvador (BA) and passing through Ilhéus (BA). For the first time in the country's seas, the ship is expected to transport thousands of people in packages lasting seven days.

Gilson Machado Neto stressed that Brazil has the potential to receive more ships such as the Costa Diadema and increase the movement of tourists in the destinations traveled. “We know that Brazil can become the America of maritime cruises. We have bottlenecks, but we also have ports in our capitals that are home to large ships. All of our capitals, especially the coastal ones, have international airports, without exception. No country is equal to Brazil in the cruise industry, especially in the post-pandemic period ”, he declared.

The Tourism Minister added that the government of President Jair Bolsonaro has been working to ensure the expansion of cruise ships and defended the maintenance of the sector's season throughout the year. “We were supposed to have 50 cruise ships here throughout the year. You don't have a hurricane here, you don't have a tsunami, you don't have anything to keep the cruise ship away. We have to unlock, stimulate the entrepreneur, so that here it becomes a favorable business environment. This is what this government works for ”, he concluded.

The Costa Diadema boat is considered one of the largest this season. In total, the ocean liner offers 1,862 cabins, 19 decks and weighs around 132.5 thousand tons. In addition, the vessel is capable of receiving up to 6,000 passengers and generating more than 1,000 jobs, not counting the movement of the country's productive chain.

The executive president of Costa Cruises in South and Central America, Dario Rustico, thanked the federal government for its support for the resumption of the segment in the country. “The pandemic imposed great challenges on the entire tourism market. I appreciate the commitment and collaboration of the entire Brazilian tourism production chain, in particular the Ministry of Tourism, Infrastructure and Health, the Government of Brazil and Clia. Without the support of the Minister of Tourism and the Bolsonaro government, we would probably not be here with you today, ”he said.

In just over a month since the start of the cruise season in the country, around 63,000 cruise ships have embarked on the three ships that operate in Brazil. The vessels will circulate in the country until April 2022, covering seven states and 14 cities. There will be 106 itineraries and 409 stopovers in destinations such as Rio de Janeiro (RJ), Angra dos Reis (RJ), Balneario Camboriú (SC), Fortaleza (CE), Ilhabela (SP), Ubatuba (SP), Salvador (BA). ) and Itajaí (SC). The expectation is that the season will generate an impact of R $ 1.7 billion in the national economy, in addition to creating 24 thousand jobs.

Also during his visit to São Paulo, the Minister of Tourism met with the presidents of the BBG Brasil Group, Vitor Bauab, and the presidents of the Boat Show, Ernani Paciornik, to discuss issues related to the segment in the country. Gilson Machado Neto also gave interviews to two television channels. In the first, CNN Brazil, the minister addressed issues such as the resumption of the sector and the situation of the airlines in the pandemic. At night, in Jovem Pan, Machado Neto addressed issues related to nature tourism, the Amazon, the promotion of tourism in the country and civil aviation, among others.