Compromise Proposed to Permit Cruise Ship Calls to the French Riviera

After saying the French Riviera did not want large cruise ships, the mayor of Nice who also represents the region agreed to reconsider and provide a compromise to the industry. Like other destinations around the world, the mayor is now proposing daily limits to reduce but not eliminate cruise ship port calls.

Mayor Christian Estrosi of Nice who is also president of the Nice Côte d'Azur Metropolis signed a decree in January blocking cruise ships with over 900 passengers or over 190 meters (690 feet) in length as of July 1. He cited the negative impacts of overtourism and challenges to the marine environment declared “I don’t want these floating hotels putting down their anchors in Nice.”

While he received extensive press coverage it was quickly pointed out by many in the industry that Nice is not a major cruise ship port. It has a small dock only able to handle luxury cruise ships which the mayor was happy to have as they align with the exclusive image of the city. However, he sought to extend the ban into VIllefranche-sur-mer where large cruise ships regularly anchor. The mayor said cruise ships to go to the port of Cannes or Marseille which have the facilities to handle large ships but are more distant from the attractions.

“We are urging a reconsideration,” a spokesperson for the cruise line trade group CLIA Europe said. The group called for a “holistic tourist management approach,” while emphasizing its estimate that the ban would stop as much as two-thirds of the 90 scheduled cruise ship calls for the summer of 2025. CLIA said it would cost $10 million in local revenues and as much as $600 million regionally.

The mayor of Villefranche spoke out against the bad while experts also questioned if Estrosi had the legal authority to impose his restrictions. Large cruise ships anchor 300 meters (nearly 1,000 feet) offshore in Villefranche which it was pointed out places them in federally controlled not local waters. However, it was also pointed out that the cruise ships send their tenders into the local waters to ferry passengers ashore.

The French news agency AFP reported today, February 28, that after consulting with local leaders Estrosi offered up a compromise. The report said he will submit a new plan on March 7 to the local council which he said would balance the interests of public health and the local economy. 

The compromise calls for permitting cruise ships with up to 2,500 passengers to anchor in the bay and tender passengers ashore. The mega cruise ships would still be required to go to Cannes, while the smallest ships with under 450 passengers would also be permitted to call in Nice.  The compromise also limits calls to one cruise ship per day.

The port authority told AFP that this plan would permit about 65 of the planned 90 cruise ship calls scheduled for this summer. It noted originally that only about 20 of the ships would have had more than 2,500 passengers aboard.

Other destinations including Key West in Florida also sought in the past few years to limit the size of cruise ships and it was successful in reducing the number of ships in port in a day. Others such as Bar Harbor in Maine stopped all large cruise ship calls while in Greece the government’s solution was a cap on the top number of people per day on the busiest Greek Islands and an increased port tax to fund port improvements.