The administrative court in Nice has temporarily halted the mayor’s efforts to restrict large cruise ships from visiting the French Riviera. This decision follows a confrontation where Mayor Christian Estrosi demanded the Royal Caribbean cruise ship Voyager of the Seas leave the bay, citing concerns over the detrimental effects of mass tourism, including air and water pollution.
Estrosi had previously enacted a ban on large cruise ships, capping those with over 2,500 passengers in Villefranche and 450 in Nice. After the July 3 incident, he reiterated this limit, emphasizing a "climate emergency" as justification. The French media reported that this ban would affect numerous cruise calls this year and next, impacting over 200,000 passengers.
The prefect argued that the authority to manage cruise ship traffic lies at the state and federal levels, a position the court upheld in granting the injunction. Estrosi acknowledged the need for state action, threatening to pursue legal avenues if regulations are not established promptly.
The situation in the French Riviera reflects a broader trend among popular tourist destinations grappling with the cruise industry’s rapid growth, prompting measures in places like Greece to impose taxes on cruise passengers.
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