RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Twelve transatlantic cruise ships, carrying 100,000 tourists, will sail to Mauá Pier, in Rio de Janeiro, starting this Sunday, February 2nd, through Saturday, February 29th. From this total, eight are international ships (the Queen Victoria, the Oceania Marina, the Europa2, the Hamburg, the Island Princess, the Volendam, the Celebrity Eclipse and the Azamara Pursuit).
It is the largest number of international transatlantic ships to dock in Rio in the past 20 years. Alexandre Gomes, Mauá Pier Operations Manager, said these cruises will inject “approximately R$120 (US$30) million in the city’s economy in one month”.
During Carnaval, from February 22nd to 25th, eight of these 12 transatlantic liners will be in the capital of the state of Rio de Janeiro, with three spending Sunday night in Rio and three on Monday night, so passengers may attend the Sambadrome to watch the samba school parades in the special group. Of the eight ships that will be staying for Carnival, five are international.
Today, February 2nd, the MSC Fantasia docked at Mauá Pier and will return to Rio six times during February. It is one of the ships operating short trips with different routes through South America. The others are the Sovereign, which will return to the city seven times; the MSC Musica and the Costa Pacifica, which will return to Rio three times each.
The Operations Manager of Mauá Pier reported that, for the first time departing from Rio, the fourteenth edition of the ‘Emoções em Alto Mar’ (Emotions at High Sea) Project will take place between February 15th and 19th, at MSC Fantasia, with singer Roberto Carlos. The project was launched in 2005 to reunite friends and admirers of the artist aboard a cruise ship.
Positive assessment
Alexandre Gomes pointed out that the Queen Victoria is returning to the Brazilian coast after two years. The evaluation of the tourists who came to the city previously contributed to this.
“Rio de Janeiro has been evaluated as the best destination in South America. This is making a difference. And since the shipowners are large groups, this is spreading to all the companies in the groups”, he explained.
He also emphasized that since 2016, with the Olympic Games in Rio and the inauguration of the Olympic Boulevard, there have been no incidents of thefts or robberies around the terminal, which also includes the historic center of the capital.
The Operations Manager pointed out that, since the beginning of the brand in 1999, Mauá Pier has been elected seven times as “The Best Passenger Terminal in South America” by the ‘World Travel Awards’, which is regarded as the Oscar of World Tourism.
Season
The cruise season began in October last year and will run until April this year and includes 112 moorings of 37 ships: 27 international and 10 national. Eight of them are coming to Rio for the first time.
Last season, between 2018 and 2019, Mauá Pier hosted 100 moorings, bringing 380,000 tourists. For the current season there was an increase of 12 moorings; the number of ships was increased by ten; and the forecast of tourists at boarding, unboarding and transit increased from 380,000 to 425,000, an increase of 12 percent over the previous season. The number of international ships also increased from 19 to 27.