As cruise lines like Royal Caribbean continue to build bigger ships to keep up with the growing demand for cruises, some of the destinations that are essential to their cruise itineraries are not on board with the trend.
More and more popular tourist destinations are joining an opposing trend of implementing bans on large cruise ships to limit the number of visitors flooding their ports during peak tourist seasons.
Related: Cruise lines' future in popular destination remains uncertain
Overtourism and environmental concerns have led a number of port cities around the world to take drastic measures to regulate cruise ship traffic. From Venice and Barcelona to Bar Harbor, Maine, some destinations are pushing large cruise ships out with new restrictions like docking regulations, ship size limits and daily cruise passenger caps.
Now, as another popular European destination proposes a new ban on cruise ship calls, the Cruise Lines International Assocation (CLIA) is speaking out.
Sign up for the Come Cruise With Me newsletter to save money on your next (or your first) cruise.
Image source: Daniel Kline/ComeCruiseWith.com
Nice, France plans cruise ship ban
In late January, the mayor of Nice, France, Christian Estrosi, signed a decree for a cruise ship ban that would prohibit cruise ships carrying more than 900 passengers or those that are larger than 190 meters (623 feet) from calling on its two ports in the French Riviera, Nice and Villefranche-sur-Mer.
The new restriction is set to take effect July 1, just days before Royal Caribbean’s 3,600-passenger Voyager of the Seas is scheduled to visit Villefranche-sur-Mer on a seven-night Western Mediterranean cruise itinerary. The new ban is expected to impact dozens of 2025 cruise calls to Villefranche including several Celebrity Cruises sailings.
Related: Another major city wants to ban cruise ships
“I don’t want these floating hotels putting down their anchors in Nice,” said Estrosi in a January speech. “These cruises that pollute [and] that pour out their low-cost customers who do not consume anything and who leave their rubbish behind them, well I say these cruises don’t have a place here.”
CLIA and maritime-focused organizations from the Nice area consider the ban “a blow” to the region’s tourism economy. The groups estimate that the ban could result in a loss of more than $10 million locally and over $600 million regionally, according to a Travel Weekly report.
Cruise industry responds to Nice’s ban
CLIA is asking Estrosi to rethink the new cruise ship restrictions.
"We are urging reconsideration of any actions that would ban cruise tourism in favor of a holistic tourism management approach, which proves time and again to be a best practice and the best way to manage tourism in ways that help communities thrive," Samuel Maubanc, director general for CLIA in Europe, told Travel Weekly.
Although the new bans in Nice and other popular cruise destinations create uncertainty for cruise lines and their passengers, this new trend to combat overtourism may drive demand for smaller cruise ships and create new opportunities for small-ship cruise lines.
Related: Why Royal Caribbean Group will add new kind of ship to fleet
Royal Caribbean Group is already recognizing these opportunities. While its ultra-luxury, small-ship Silversea Cruises can still sail to Nice under the new ban, the company is adding a new kind of ship to its fleet that can take passengers to sought-after destinations in Europe that large ships can’t reach.
Royal Caribbean Group recently shared that its Celebrity Cruises brand will soon enter the river cruising market to broaden its reach and offer a new way for passengers to experience culturally- and historically-significant cities. Celebrity River Cruises will launch in Europe in 2027.
"River cruising is a sizable and attractive market that has experienced double-digit growth over the last decade driven by increasing demand from both seasoned cruisers as well as new customers," Royal Caribbean Group CEO Jason Liberty said during the company’s Q4 earnings call. "It is a very fragmented market that presents an exciting opportunity for us to win substantial market share."
(The Arena Group will earn a commission if you book a cruise.)
Make a free appointment with Come Cruise With Me's Travel Agent Partner, Postcard Travel, or email Amy Post at amypost@postcardtravelplanning.com, or call or text her at 386-383-2472.
