As we continue to strive to curb the prolonged destinations that are popular across Europe, Cannes has become the latest city to announce restrictions on large cruise ships that will come into effect on January 1, 2026.
Ships with maximum capacity of more than 1,000 passengers will be banned from the ports of hotspots in the French Riviera. This action is one element of what the city council described as “dramatic regulation.” Limit the impact of cruise tourism. world Other news outlets reported it.
Other restrictions include daily caps in which 6,000 cruise passengers across the city have their attics hanging down, and the relocation of Anchorage, a massive cruise ship far from the city’s world-famous beaches. world Passengers on the larger cruise ship reported that they would need to ferry to Cannes by small boat.
The aim is to make the city’s cruise tourism “many, large, less pollution, less pollution and more aesthetics,” according to a statement from Cannes Council, cited by the Associated Press.
“Cannes has become a major cruise ship destination that offers real economic benefits. It’s not about banning cruise ships, it’s about regulations, organising and (and) setting guidelines for navigation.”
Cannes will join counterparts in the French Riviera and Villfranche-Schulmer as they implement measures to limit cruise tourism. In January, Nice Mayor Christian Estrósi issued an order to ban cruise ships along with more than 900 passengers, but betrayed them in March after pushbacks from maritime organizations and unions in the Cote d’Azur and the Monaco region. (It is unclear whether the July 1 date, which was initially discussed to implement the ban, has progressed. It is unclear whether representatives from the area’s Tourism Bureau did not respond to requests for comment at the time of publication.)
Cities Growth List that Limits Cruises
On a wider scale, Cannes’ upcoming cruise ship ban is the latest in a growing movement across Europe that argues what environmental groups are saying about critics and environmental groups claiming the negative effects of overturism, including the effects of large cruise ships. Venice led the way in 2021 by banning Megavesels in UNESCO-secured lagoons.
In 2022, Barcelona, one of many Spanish destinations, wrestled with too many tourists, but took action by announcing restrictions on cruises entering the port. The measure, implemented in October 2023, closed the city’s central port and currently requires cruise ships to dock into terminals south of the city.
Amsterdam is also placing strict restrictions on cruise tourists, part of a larger plan to reduce visitor numbers. In 2023, the city council voted to abolish cruise ships from entering the heart of the Dutch capital, followed by additional measures to reduce half of the river cruise ships called in the city in May 2024. In 2026, 100 large cruise ships will enter Amsterdam’s port (a noticeable drop from the previous limit of 190), and by 2035 the vessel will be docked into a 16-mile terminal in the city currently under construction.
The Cannes announcement comes during the summer travel season. This already sees a significant increase in backlash against overtourism, which critics argue are detrimental to both local people and the quality of life of the environment. On June 15th, extensive organised protests erupted at popular destinations in southern Europe, including Barcelona, Lisbon, Naples and Palermo.
The ban on Cannes cruise ships comes soon after the widely publicized celebrity weddings of Venice’s Amazon billionaires Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez. Dozens of superyachts that appeared in the city for a three-day multi-million-dollar celebration were clearly not subject to the city’s large vessel ban.
