The Brazilian Ministry of Ports and Airports (MPor) is planning a series of investments in its cruise infrastructure over the next few months.

According to a press release, over $200 million (R$ 1 billion) is expected to be injected into three facilities, including Santos, the largest homeport in the country.

Two ports in the Northeast region, Recife and Maceió, are also slated for improvements as part of concession contracts.

“The cruise sector is strategic for the development of national tourism and has a direct connection with the port sector,” said the Minister of Ports and Airports, Silvio Costa Filho.

“To this end, we are preparing passenger terminal (RFPs) to improve port infrastructure and encourage cruise tourism in Brazil,” he added.

According to the National Secretary of Ports, Alex Ávila, the Maceió Cruise Terminal will be auctioned to the private sector in late October.

The authority is calling for companies that are interested in a 25-year concession agreement that will see an investment of nearly $700,000 (R$ 3.7 million).

“This facility was built to enhance the comfort and safety of tourists transiting through the port of Maceió,” Ávila said, noting that the new operator will be required to build a new parking lot in an adjacent area.

Following the investments, the port will be able to receive 300-meter-long cruise ships, Ávila noted.

The national port authority also plans issue a RFP for the Recife Cruise Terminal in 2025, which opened in 2014 and will be moved into the private sector for a $2 million (R$10 million) investment.

“Our expectation is to receive clearance from the Federal Court of Accounts (TCU) for this auction so we can also set the date,” he added.

Along the ports of Fortaleza and Salvador, the two cruise terminals are expected to integrate a new “Northeastern cruise circuit,” MPor stated.

In Santos, the plan is to build an all-new cruise terminal as part of a larger development project aimed at creating a new touristic district in the city’s old town.

The $150 million project will be backed by the private sector, with the operator of a container terminal expected to pay for the construction as a counterpart for a new contract.

Further south, a new passenger terminal at the Port of Paranaguá is also under consideration, according to the secretary.

In the north of the country, a new facility in Belém is being prepared to welcome guests as part of the COP-30 climate conference.