The Mayor of Nice signed an order on cruise ships of more than 900 passengers from docking in Nicein a major blow to tourists.
The order will take effect on July 1, stopping large cruise ships from docking in the port of Nice and another nearby destination, Villefranche-sur-Mer.
The Mayor stated that this decision was taken to favour a “chosen tourism” against “low cost” tourism and the “threat of overtourism”.
Christian Estrosi, Mayor of Nice, said: “Cruises that pollute, that dump their low-cost clientele who consume nothing but leave their waste behind, have no place here.
“We prevented concrete from suffocating Nice, it is not to let overtourism suffocate it in turn.
“I don’t want floating hotels to drop anchor in front of Nice.”
Estrosi insisted the order will reduce cruise passengers arriving to the coasts of the French Riviera by up to 70% and favour smaller, more luxuriuous ships.
Environmentalists and the local head of the Ecologists party, Juliette Chesnel-Le Roux, have supported this move and called it “an immense and historic victory”.
However, locals working in the hospitality and tourism industries are concerned this may affect their businesses this summer.
The ban has raised concerns in the tourism industry as about 40 large cruise ships are already reportedly planned for this summer.
The Cruise Lines International Association association said in a statement: “We are astonished by the decision of the Mayor of Nice (…) especially since no large ship is planned to call at the port of Nice in 2025.
“In the interest of local economic players as well as travelers who wish to discover this region, we urge the authorities to reconsider this decision.”
Other cities and tourist destinations like Amsterdam have also banned large cruise ships from the centre of the city,
Mykonos also previously announced a £16.82 tax for those arriving to the island on a cruise ship.
