Bordering the Mediterranean is a double edged sword for any country. It's the weather and lifestyle in that part of the world is tough to beat, which is why it attracts so many tourists. The problem is that it attracts too many tourists, with massive cruise ships moving from port to port being the source of a number of problems for the residents in these communities. And Christian Estrosi, the Mayor of Nice and the president of the Nice-Cote d’Azur region, is ready to do something about it.
According to the French media, Estrosi recently espoused some strong anti-cruise views, stating that a ban on massive cruise ships in the region could be put in place as early as July 1, 2025. Cruises impacted by the ban would have to be over 190 meters long and/or carry more than 900 passengers. In a world where many cruise ships are essentially floating cities with thousands of passengers, those numbers will exclude many of the world's biggest cruise lines from docking.
It should be noted that this is not an anti-tourism law. The Nice-Côte d’Azur region contains some of the most popular tourist destinations the Mediterranean has to offer. They still want tourists from around the world to go there. The problem is that massive cruise ships generate a lot of waste, cause huge influxes of exceedingly temporary visitors who add little to the local economy, and require significant infrastructure to operate in the region.
Estrosi's plans reflect a larger post-pandemic effort by regions suffering from overtourism to maintain the industry in a responsible fashion that is respectful of both the locals and the environment. Areas like Nice-Cote d’Azur aren't the only European or Mediterranean destinations implementing their own measures to stabilize tourism growth in the long term.