According to the Study on the Profile and Economic Impacts of Cruises in Brazil – 2023/2024 Season, produced by CLIA Brasil in partnership with Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV), each R$1 invested by the sector generated R$4.22 in the national economy. The study, launched at the 6th CLIA Brasil 2024 Forum, held in Brasília on August 28, brings unprecedented data on the sector in Brazil and globally, in addition to analyzing how the economic scenario affects tourist behavior.
Despite challenges that limit Brazil's competitiveness in relation to other markets, the 2023/2024 season highlighted the vigor of the cruise industry, breaking records in several areas. There were nine ships operating in 19 destinations in Brazil and South America, with a significant increase in the number of travelers compared to the previous season (2021/2022), totaling 844,462 cruise passengers.
The season also recorded the largest economic impact in the historical series, injecting more than R$5.2 billion into the Brazilian economy. This amount includes direct, indirect and induced expenses, such as the R$2.8 billion generated by shipping companies (mainly on fuel) and the R$2.4 billion from cruise passengers and crew in cities and ports of embarkation, disembarkation and transit. In addition, the sector generated R$556.9 million in taxes at the federal, state and municipal levels.
Jobs and Economic Impact
The season generated 80,311 jobs, 0.9% more than in the previous season. Of these, 1,572 were for crew members and 78,739 jobs were generated directly, indirectly or induced by spending by the sector and its customers, involving everything from port cities to the supporting production chain, such as travel agencies and tour operators.
The average cost per person for purchasing the trip was R$5,268.65, with an average travel time of 4.7 days. In stopover cities, each cruise passenger generated an average economic impact of R$668.91, while in embarkation and disembarkation cities this amount was R$877.01.
Traveler Profile
Almost 92% of those interviewed intend to take another cruise, and 87% say they want to return to destinations visited during their trip. In addition, 78% of passengers disembarked at least once during their itinerary. In terms of frequency, 66.1% were taking their first cruise, while the remaining 33.9% had already traveled previously, with an average of four trips.
Among the preferred destinations in Brazil, 66.2% mentioned the Northeast Coast. For international cruises, 41.8% prefer the Caribbean and 36.8% Europe. Regarding the demographic profile, 60.8% of cruise passengers are women and 61.4% are married or in a stable union. The majority travel accompanied (98.9%), mainly by children and relatives (51.9%), spouses (24.7%) and friends (19.5%).
Brazilians around the world
The number of tourists residing in Brazil who took cruise trips abroad during 2023 was 173.4 thousand, which represented an increase of 130% compared to 2022, with an estimated revenue of R$906.9 million (R$353 million more than in 2022).
The Mediterranean and Caribbean were the main preferred destinations for Brazilians traveling abroad to take sea cruises.
Global Scenario and Sustainability
In 2023, the cruise industry reached 31.7 million passengers worldwide, a growth of 7% compared to 2019. By 2027, the expectation is to reach 40 million cruise passengers per year. The global fleet, composed of approximately 300 ships, is expected to expand its capacity, with 63 new ships and 150 thousand additional beds by 2036, with an investment of 48 billion dollars.
Sustainability remains a priority in the sector, with initiatives that go beyond local and international regulations. The industry has committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030 and reaching zero emissions by 2050, with actions that are making significant progress through major investments in environmental practices, new fuels, new technologies, infrastructure and operational efficiency.
“With more beds, diversified itineraries and record operational efficiency, the 2023/2024 season highlighted the strength of the sector in Brazil”, says Marco Ferraz, president of CLIA Brazil. However, this season also broke records in terms of operational costs, with the highest proportional values ever, which could cause the country to lose the ships that are here and also not attract new ones. Therefore, we need to make Brazil more competitive and seek improvements in areas such as infrastructure, costs, public safety, regulation and development of new destinations, in addition to being prepared to receive new ships, not only the largest, but also the most technological and sustainable ones”, he concludes.