Brazil will see growth in its domestic market for the third consecutive season in 2019-2020, hoping to leave behind economic and political instability and embrace the cruise industry, according to the 2020 Brazil Market Report by Cruise Industry News.

While still far off the record numbers the Brazilian market saw a decade ago (20 ships and over 800,000 guests), this year’s numbers are up and the trend is set to continue.

Eight ships will be based in the region for the 2019-2020 season, up from seven last year with MSC leading the way with five ships, Costa with two, and Pullmantur/CVC with one.

It’s solid progress, but a far cry from the glory days that saw additional programs from Costa, Carnival’s Iberocruceros and a larger fleet from Pullmantur, as well as Royal Caribbean.

The 2019-2020 season has also extended, now running through mid April.

While the hardware increase is a key highlight, so is the return of Itajai as a homeport.

Located in Santa Catarina, the port saw passengers for the last time in 2016, and is back in the mix after a short hiatus. Other key homeports include Santos, Rio de Janeiro and Salvador.