by Major cruise ships will no longer dock in Nice from summer to prevent “low-cost clientele” from entering one of the world’s most glamorous destinations.
Christian Estriosi, the mayor of Nice and long-time critic of the cruise industry, signed a decree banning “floating hotels” that will accommodate more than 900 passengers with docking in the ports of Nice and neighboring Villefranche-sur-Mer from July 1st .
Mr Estriosi, who is also president of the Côte d’Azur regional metropolis, said: “Cruises that pollute, that dump their low-cost clientele, that leave nothing but waste behind, have no place here.”
Cruise tourists spend an average of €38 (£32) in the city during their short offshore excursions, compared to €180 (£152) for conference goers, according to the Nice Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Villefranche-sur-Mer, a fishing village in France, was glamorized as it was used as a replacement for Saint-Tropez in the Netflix series Emily in Paris.
The late Tina Turner also had an extensive estate in the commune, while U2’s Bono has a villa in the nearby commune of èze.
According to information from France, around 40 ocean liners that were docked in local waters in the summer will be affected.
Cruise Lines International Association, the world’s largest cruise industry trade group, said they were “astonished” by the decision and that such actions “only stigmatize the cruise industry.”
The association said: “In the interests of local economic actors as well as travelers who want to discover this region, we call on the authorities to reconsider this decision.”
Juliette Chesnel-le Roux, the leader of the local Green Party, who had been calling for a ban on our marine ecosystems for years.
She said: “For years we have been calling for an end to these cruise ships that pollute our air, our water, destroy our unique biodiversity and increase uppourism. All this for denying economic benefits. “
Nice is the latest waterfront city in Europe to regulate cruise activity and scale back to combat pollution and uppourism.
Other major destinations that have either banned or tightened cruise disruption restrictions include Venice, Barcelona, Amsterdam and Santorini.
