The Seabourn Venture recently opened the 2024-25 cruise season at the port of Belém, a destination in Brazil’s Pará state.

After being unable to visit Manaus due to a record drought in the Amazon River, the Seabourn vessel arrived at the port on Oct. 20.

According to the Government of Pará, roughly 250 guests were onboard the 2022-built ship, which made an overnight call to Belém.

To welcome passengers, local authorities put together a reception ceremony that included samples of Belém’s culture, including a presentation of Carimbó dance.

Guests were then invited to take part in a city tour that visited the main tourist attractions of the Belém region.

“Pará is prepared to welcome these visitors. With investments by the State Government in tourism infrastructure, including the new Cruise Terminal, we are creating adequate space to welcome cruise ships, with greater quality and comfort when boarding and disembarking tourists,” said Lucas Viera, deputy tourism secretary of Pará.

“Our goal is to present and delight everyone with our unique, excellent destination, with rich biodiversity, gastronomy and culture,” he added.

The Seabourn Venture arrived in Belém as part of a 14-night expedition cruise to the Amazon River that started in Bridgetown, Barbados.

In addition to Belém, the itinerary featured various destinations in the region, such as Parintins, Santarém and Macapá.

According to the Government of Pará, the state is seeing stronger demand from cruise ships in recent years, with results from the 2023-24 season surpassing pre-pandemic numbers.

Over 15,000 guests arrived so far in 2024, the government said, while 13,000 passengers visited the state’s ports of call in 2023. In 2019, Pará received 14,000 cruise guests.

In addition to Belém, cruise vessels make visits to two other ports of call in Pará: Alter do Chão and Santarém.