Cannes is about to introduce new regulations for cruise ships. Starting next year, any ship carrying more than 1,000 passengers will be prohibited from docking in the port of Cannes.
The town is a common stopover for cruise ships touring in the Mediterranean, particularly during the Festival. This has environmental costs that the city aims to mitigate. Since 2019, they have been regulating fuel use and other measures. Now they plan to control the number of large liners passing through the Old Port.
Bay of Cannes: “an ecological treasure”
“The bay of Cannes is an ecological treasure and a source of biodiversity that must be protected,” according to Mayor David Lisnard. To do this, the municipality works with the Old Port operator during the disembarking and embarking of cruise passengers.
Cannes city councillors approved the new rules, describing them as “drastic.” Only ships with fewer than 1,000 passengers will be allowed to dock, with a daily limit of 6,000 disembarking passengers. Larger cruise ships will need to use smaller boats to transport passengers into Cannes.
This measure aligns Cannes with Venice, Barcelona and other European destinations dealing with overtourism. Recent incidents include protests in Venice about Jeff Bezos’ wedding celebrations, demonstrations in Spain, and a strike at the Louvre Museum in Paris.
Lisnard emphasized that the goal is to regulate and manage cruise ship activities, not to ban them completely.
(Michael Leahy. Source: Cannes or Bust. Photo: Diana / Pexels)