French Riviera resort town joins overtourism backlash
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' Venice wedding this weekend, water-gun protests in Spain and a surprise strike at the Louvre Museum.
"Less numerous, less big, less polluting and more esthetic" - that's the aim of Cannes city councillors who voted on Friday to introduce new limits on cruise ships in its ports starting January 1.
Only ships with fewer than 1000 passengers will be allowed in the port, with a maximum of 6000 passengers disembarking per day. 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," Mayor David Lisnard said in a statement.
"It's not about banning cruise ships, but about regulating, organising, setting guidelines for their navigation."
Cruise operators have called such restrictions damaging for destinations and for passengers.
Two cruise ships were scheduled to dock in Cannes on Sunday, each bigger than the upcoming 1000-passenger limit and with a combined capacity of more than 7000 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.
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