Another beautiful city bans cruise ships – the 7 places that have had enough of tourists.uk
The list of cities and islands bidding adieu to luxury liners seems to get longer and longer every summer.
Imagine waking to find the entire population of your town had doubled or driving to the local shop only to find the queue is out of the door. And that’s before you even consider whether walking the dog is worth it, given your normally peaceful stroll could be hijacked by mobs of noisy, littering tourists, too busy taking snaps of the view to realise they are a blot on yours.
Welcome to the reality of communities living in cruise ship-dwelling ports. Once heralded as a mini economic boom for locals, the approach of huge holiday vessels to idyllic shores is now increasingly attracting angry protests, as natives rise up against “overtourism”.
The French Riviera city of Nice is the latest tourist destination to join the global backlash, months after Santorini was overwhelmed by a reported 11,000 travellers setting foot on the Greek island – normally home to 15,000 people – in just one day.
Nice’s Mayor Christian Estrosi has announced that from July 1 he will ban luxury liners carrying more than 900 passengers from the glitzy resort of Villefranche-sur-Mer, where cruise ships dock to visit the city and its nearby picturesque towns. He previously called cruise ships “monsters of the seas” that “pollute and dump their low-cost clientele”.
And he may have a point. Cruise passenger numbers in Nice were expected to double by next year, reaching a crushing 320,000. The arrivals place great strain on infrastructure for a few hours, before leaving the same spots deserted the following day. Other campaigns are linked to soaring property prices driven by the surge in tourism – angering locals who believe they are being priced out of the market.
The Bay of Villefranche-sur-Mer (Image: Getty)
However, the daily work of more than 40% of Nice’s locals is connected to tourism in some way. This led business owners, shopkeepers, taxi drivers and restaurateurs in Villefranche-sur-Mer to protest against the cruise ship ban, in contrast to many other destinations, where demonstrators aim to scare off tourists.
Speaking to the Express, local Green party leader Juliette Chesnel-Le Roux said: “For years, environmentalists have been calling for an end to these liners, which pollute our air and water, destroy our unique biodiversity and increase overtourism. And all for derisory economic benefits.”
Beyond the Mediterranean, other destinations are clamping down on cruise liners or are planning to introduce restrictions, as protesters gear up for action. So, where can you expect the ladder to be pulled up after Nice’s firm “non” to overtourism? Here are the key destinations subject to cruise bans or curbs – or where such measures are on the horizon…
Amsterdam is another city where locals have fought back against cruise ships (Image: Getty Images)
VENICE
Trailblazing cruise blockers in Venice banned large ships from entering its historic Giudecca Canal, the nautical gateway to the world-famous St Mark’s Square, in 2021.
Previously, fewer than half of the 60,000 tourists arriving in the floating city stayed the night there.
Campaigners had pushed for a ban since 2017, citing erosion and pollution as the main reasons – and liner/city relations only worsened when, in 2019, the MSC Opera cruise liner crashed into a small tourist boat on the Giudecca Canal, leaving at least five injured.
When the move was finally introduced, Italy’s culture minister said the decision was made in response to a request from UN cultural body Unesco. Ships now have to stop in nearby Marghera, with others choosing Trieste or Ravenna.
A cruise ship blocks the view in Venice (Image: Getty Images)
BARCELONA
In 2023, Barcelona announced all cruise ships would need to start docking further south of its centre.
Local authorities also reduced the cap on the number of large vessels able to dock in the Spanish city from 10 to seven per day.
Attractions such as La Rambla boulevard are no longer the short 10-minute stroll they used to be from the dock.
The new arrangements mean tourists have to make a journey of approximately half an hour by bus from the southern port to reach the food and drink mecca.
And while the city’s awe-inspiring architecture continues to draw around 30 million visitors per year, the authorities are planning to close another terminal by 2026.
A piece of graffiti in Barcelona making the views of many locals on tourism clear (Image: NurPhoto via Getty Images)
JUNEAU
A battle is underway in the Alaskan capital as residents fight over whether cruises’ economic benefits outweigh their ecological impact.
The historic harbour in the remote US port city, with a population of just 32,000, plays host to around five vessels per day.
Recent calls to create a “ship-free Saturday” to ease the flow of visitors were blocked at the polls, with 60% of voters choosing to continue welcoming liners.
Indigenous community leader Stacy Eldemar said after the defeat: “It’s ironic that the very thing these tourists are seeking is being destroyed by the industry that’s bringing them here.”
In a bid to find a compromise, the frozen city has announced a cap on the number of cruises and berths, to be enforced from next year.
AMSTERDAM
Sustainability ambitions went head-to-head with day-tripper desires in the Dutch party capital, resulting in a plan to limit cruise ships to 100 per year, currently at 190, leading up to a ban on all liners by 2035.
The announcement in June came as part of a series of measures to control pollution and overtourism. Residents have long campaigned for restrictions and in 2021 commissioned a study of one big cruise ship which found that it had produced the same levels of nitrogen oxides in one day as 30,000 trucks.
The huge number of tourists flocking to the city has also angered local groups, with a spokesperson for the liberal D66 party in the city describing victors as “a plague of locusts”.
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Santorini in Greece is swamped with cruise ship tourists every summer (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
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SANTORINI AND MYKONOS
Amid Greece’s charming sun-bleached buildings and piercing blue skies lurks a dark cloud – overtourism. Officials have introduced a new £16.80 charge per cruise passenger to Santorini and Mykonos in the hope of balancing some of the negative effects created by sudden sightseeing crushes.
To combat high visitor numbers and the problems they cause, including water shortages, the Greek government has also announced a limit of 8,000 cruise passengers per day from this year.
The measures come after the two small, picturesque islands welcomed an incredible 1.3 million people on 800 liners in 2024.
Santorini’s mayor Nikos Zoros is hoping to ease overcrowding in the coming peak months.
“If you destroy the landscape, one as rich as ours, you destroy the very reason people come here in the first place,” he said.
BALEARIC ISLANDS
Protesters made headlines last summer in Palma de Mallorca when thousands took to the streets to voice their concerns about overtourism.
Restrictions were introduced in 2021, capping docking cruise ships into Palma to three per day, with only one permitted to carry more than 5,000 passengers. Despite this, more stringent restrictions are expected to be announced this year.
Meanwhile, the beautiful party island of Ibiza has introduced new rules allowing no more than two ships to dock simultaneously at any one time.
NORWAY
Further north, Norway will no longer allow non-zero-emission ships to tour around its fjords by 2032. In order to preserve the economy and fragile environment, from next year, tourist ships and ferries under 10,000 tonnes will be banned from certain areas along the Unesco World Heritage Site route.
“Big Impact, Small Footprint” is the tagline for Visit Norway, highlighting its aim to become a sustainable destination that permits travel to its stunning shores without spoiling it for future generations.
Here are her top tips on how to cruise responsibly:
- Do your research: Understand your destination and the local environment before you travel.
- Support the local economy: Purchase locally-made goods and services to help boost the area you’re visiting.
- Respect the environment and locals: Leave no trace behind, be considerate of local customs, and respect the places you’re visiting.
- Bring cash: Many local vendors don’t accept card payments, so it’s good to have cash for shopping or tipping.
- Don’t feel entitled: Be respectful—you’re visiting someone else’s home, so show gratitude and respect to both the environment and people.
- Consider your ship’s size: Choose a vessel size that suits you best. Larger ships, like those from Royal Caribbean, are packed with amenities and activities, offering a lively atmosphere but also potentially large crowds. If you prefer a quieter, more traditional experience, a smaller vessel may be more to your liking. The size of the ship can significantly impact your cruise experience, from the level of personal space to the onboard amenities.
- Don’t expect everything to go to plan: Travel, especially on cruises, can be unpredictable. Weather conditions, port restrictions, or other unforeseen circumstances may lead to changes in your itinerary. If you really want to go to a specific destination, you may want to consider other options as well.
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