Cannes to impose strict limits on cruise ships for sustainability
The French Riviera resort of Cannes is imposing what its city council calls 'drastic regulation' on cruise ships, halving the number of very large ships allowed in its harbour and capping the daily number of passenger visits at 6,000 starting next year.
The home of the world's premier film festival is joining a growing global backlash
against overtourism, which recently saw uproar over Jeff Bezos' and Lauren Sanchez' grand wedding in Venice, Italy, water-gun protests in Spain and a surprise strike at the Louvre Museum in France.
'Less numerous, less big, less polluting and more aesthetic' – that's the aim of Cannes city councillors who voted recently to introduce new limits on cruise ships in its ports. The aim is to ban all ships carrying more than 1,300 people by 2030, city hall said in a statement.
Starting next year, a maximum of 6,000 cruise passengers will be allowed to disembark per day, and the number of ships carrying more than 5,000 passengers will be cut by 48% in 2026.
Larger ships will be expected to transfer passengers to smaller boats to enter Cannes.
France – which drew in some 100 million visitors last year, more than any other European country and more than the country's population – is on the front line of efforts to balance economic benefits of tourism with environmental concerns while managing ever-growing crowds.
'Cannes has become a major cruise ship destination, with real economic benefits. It's not about banning cruise ships, but about regulating, organising, setting guidelines for their navigation,' mayor David Lisnard said in a statement.
Cruise operators have called such restrictions damaging for destinations and for passengers.
Two cruise ships were scheduled to dock in Cannes recently, each bigger than the upcoming 1,300-passenger limit and with a combined capacity of more than 7,000 people. Their owners did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the new restrictions.
The nearby Mediterranean city of Nice announced limits on cruise ships earlier this year, as have some other European cities. – AP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Straits Times
13 minutes ago
- New Straits Times
Tourist magnet Barcelona to cut cruise ship capacity
Barcelona on Thursday unveiled a plan to reduce the number of cruise passengers arriving at its port, part of a wider trend to combat overtourism in Europe's most popular destinations. The city and the port authority signed an agreement to reduce the number of cruise ship terminals from seven to five by 2030, cutting traveller capacity from 37,000 to 31,000. Spain's second-largest city hosts one of the world's busiest ports for cruise traffic, having received 3.65 million such passengers in 2024, according to Barcelona's Tourism Observatory. Cruise passenger numbers grew by 20 per cent between 2018 and 2024, Barcelona's Socialist mayor Jaume Collboni said in a statement. "For the first time in history, limits are being set on the growth of cruise ships in the city," Collboni added. The demolition of three existing cruise terminals and the construction of a new one will cost €185 million, adding to previous investments since the first protocol was signed in 2018. Tourism has helped drive the dynamic Spanish economy, making it the world's second most-visited country with a record 94 million foreign visitors last year. But the boom has fuelled anger about unaffordable housing and concern that mass visitor numbers are changing the fabric of neighbourhoods, sparking protests in tourism hotspots. With its Mediterranean beaches and world-famous cultural landmarks such as the Sagrada Familia basilica, Barcelona is on the front line of mass tourism, receiving millions of visitors every year. It announced last year a plan to scrap around 10,000 tourist rental apartments by 2028 in an attempt to ease local discontent. Elsewhere in Europe, the popular Italian city of Venice introduced a charge for day visitors last year, while Greece is implementing a tax on cruise ships docking at its islands.
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Italy's Meloni says it's a 'positive' trade deal was reached but needs to see details
FILE PHOTO: Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni speaks to the media with Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker (not pictured) at Chigi Palace in Rome, Italy, July 15, 2025. REUTERS/Yara Nardi/File Photo ROME (Reuters) -Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Sunday it is "positive" a trade deal has been reached between the European Union and the United States, adding, however, that she needs to see the details. Washington struck a framework trade deal with the EU imposing a 15% import tariff on most EU goods. "I consider it positive that there is an agreement, but if I don't see the details I am not able to judge it in the best way," Meloni told journalists on the sidelines of a meeting in Addis Ababa. Italy is one of the biggest European exporters to the U.S., with a trade surplus of more than 40 billion euros. The Italian government, led by a nationalist coalition, had urged its European partners to avoid a direct clash between the two sides of the Atlantic. In a statement, Meloni said that the agreement "ensures stability", adding that the 15% "is sustainable, especially if this percentage is not added to previous duties, as was originally planned." "We are ready to activate support measures at the national level, but we ask that they also be activated at the European level for sectors that will be particularly affected by US tariff measures," she added. The statement was also signed by the leaders of the other two coalition parties: Antonio Tajani of Forza Italia and Matteo Salvini of the League. (Reporting by Sara Rossi and Giselda Vagnoni, editing by Diane Craft and Nick Zieminski)
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
2nd LD Writethru: U.S., EU seal trade deal amid concerns over tariff imbalance
LONDON, July 27 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen claimed Sunday that they had reached a trade deal under which the United States would impose a baseline tariff of 15 percent on European Union (EU) goods. The announcement was made at a joint press briefing Sunday afternoon following trade talks at the Trump Turnberry in South Ayrshire, Scotland. Although both leaders described the deal as a step toward restoring "trade balance" and promoting more equitable two-way commerce, the agreement allows the United States to impose a broad 15 percent tariff on EU goods while securing zero-tariff access for a range of strategic American exports. In contrast, the EU has pledged to purchase 750 billion U.S. dollars' worth of American energy and commit an additional 600 billion U.S. dollars in investments in the United States. At the press briefing, Trump claimed the agreement would enable American cars to re-enter the European market and make U.S. agricultural exports more accessible in the EU. He also said that pharmaceuticals were excluded from the agreement, while existing 50 percent tariffs on EU steel and aluminium exports to the United States will remain in place. However, at a separate press briefing, von der Leyen clarified that the EU and the U.S. had agreed to include pharmaceuticals under the 15 percent tariff framework. She did not rule out the possibility of further U.S. trade actions in the future. When asked whether a 15 percent tariff for EU carmakers-up from 2.5 percent under the Biden administration-was a favorable outcome, von der Leyen responded that, prior to this agreement, European vehicles faced a total tariff of 27.5 percent when entering the U.S. market. This included a 25 percent levy imposed during Trump's previous term in addition to the original 2.5 percent. The new 15 percent rate, she argued, represents a reduction from that level. Bernd Lange, chair of the European Parliament's Committee on International Trade, criticized the newly reached deal as "unsatisfactory" and "significantly imbalanced," warning that it could undermine the EU's economic stability and job security. "This is a deal with a slant. Clearly, concessions have been made that are difficult to bear," Lange said in a statement on Sunday. Prior to the agreement, over 70 percent of EU exports to the United States were subject to tariffs, including 50 percent on steel and aluminium, 25 percent on automobiles and parts, and a 10 percent duty on most other goods. Trump had warned that if no deal was reached by Aug. 1, the 10 percent tariff would be raised to 30 percent.
