Cruise destinations worldwide are grappling with the growing impact of the cruise industry, with many enacting measures to limit its effects on local environments, residents, and infrastructure. From restricting passenger numbers in Juneau, Alaska, to banning large ships in Nice, France, and Venice, Italy, ports are increasingly asserting their right to balance the economic benefits of cruising with the need to protect their unique characteristics.
Juneau in Alaska is one of the latest in a long line of ports to conclude you can have too much of a good thing. The town of 32,000 people decided that the 1.65 million cruise passengers it receives annually is too many. Last year, it announced it would restrict cruise passenger numbers to 12,000 on Saturdays and 16,000 on other days. Does that still seem like a lot? Some residents think so, and are pushing for ship-free Saturdays or other restrictions.
In New York, legislation against diesel-powered cruise ships is under consideration following complaints from locals about the pollution from the 200 cruise ships that dock in the harbour annually. In France, Nice’s mayor Christian Estrosi last week signed a decree that will ban ships carrying more than 900 passengers from docking in the ports of Nice and neighbouring Villefranche-sur-Mer from July 1. “Cruises that pollute, that dump their low-cost clientele who consume nothing but leave their waste behind, have no place here,” Estrosi said. Agitation concerning cruise ships has been with us for a while, but has grown since the pandemic, which gave port residents the chance to see what their cities were like without cruise ships. Many liked what they saw. The chief complaints are about overcrowding, noise, traffic congestion around ports, environmental damage, and pollution both from cruise ships themselves and – especially in homeports – the trucks that deliver services to them. In New York, legislation against diesel-powered cruise ships is under consideration following complaints from locals about the pollution from the 200 cruise ships that dock in the harbour annually. If passed, ships would be compelled to connect to the city’s power grid while docked, although not all have that ability. Other ports have demanded that cruise ships leave all together. In Venice, worries about damage to the lagoon and fragile building foundations resulted in large cruise ships being banned from the Giudecca Canal in 2021, although not, as is often assumed, from Venice itself.The media often erroneously reports cruise ship “bans” which are anything but. Amsterdam hit headlines in 2023 for banning cruise ships, although it only limited the number of ships that could dock in the city centre. Barcelona similarly hasn’t banned cruise ships, but has started moving them out of terminals closest to the city to Moll d’Adossat, beyond its residential areas., which effectively bans visits from large ships. Palma de Mallorca has limited ship visits to three simultaneously, Key West in Florida to only one. Charleston in the US has banned homeporting, allowing ships to only pass through. In early 2023 Monterey in California, citing environmental concerns, nixed cruise visits altogether by refusing to supply any further shore services. Cruise ships could in theory tender passengers ashore but, no doubt having got the message, none have. If cruise lines are worried, they aren’t saying so. They are, however, taking measures to mitigate their impact on ports, particularly when it comes to overcrowding and pollution. It’s in the interests of cruise lines, local businesses and local communities to find a mutually satisfactory balance. Whether the anti-cruise movement continues to grow remains to be seen. The ball is surely in the cruise lines’ court, as people power urges them to be responsible, sustainable-impact businesses
Cruise Industry Overcrowding Pollution Environmental Impact Port Restrictions Sustainable Tourism Passenger Limits Cruise Ship Bans
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