Nice Mayor delivers blow to cruise industry with ban on large ships

In a controversial move that could deliver a significant blow to the 2025 cruise season in the Mediterranean Sea, Christian Estrosi, Mayor of Nice, has signed an official decree banning cruise ships carrying more than 900 passengers from docking at the city’s port, starting from July 1.

According to news reports, Estrosi says that the decision was made in a bid to promote “selective tourism” and combat the type of overtourism that plagues many popular European destinations. This new policy is expected to have a significant impact on the nearby harbour of Villefranche-sur-Mer,  a common stop for large cruise liners. In 2025, nearly 90 cruise calls are scheduled there, with roughly two-thirds involving ships that exceed the 900-passenger threshold.

Estrosi says that Nice will continue to receive smaller vessels, with approximately 124 scheduled calls this year from ships that meet the new limit. Estrosi’s decision has come in for sharp criticism by various tourism and cruise industry stakeholders. While the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), the global association of the cruise industry, expressed surprise at the mayor’s decision, noting that no large cruise ships are actually scheduled to dock in Nice in 2025.

However, Villefranche-sur-Mer remains a key concern, with CLIA reporting that this year’s schedule includes three large cruise ships and 34 medium-sized ones.

In a statement, CLIA urged Estrosi to reconsider the restrictions, arguing that the policy could negatively impact local businesses and travelers. It added that Estrosi’s decision ‘stigmatises’ the cruise industry and does nothing to promote sustainable tourism.

“As the association representing the cruise industry, we are surprised by the Mayor of Nice’s decision to ban cruises, particularly given that no large ships are scheduled to call at the port of Nice in 2025. In fact, only three large cruise ships and 34 medium-sized ships are scheduled to call off Villefranche-sur-Mer for the whole of 2025,’’ says CLIA in a statement.

The association has urged Estrosi to reconsider his decision for the benefit of local businesses in Nice and the guests who would like to visit.

“As tourism professionals, we work hard every day with local businesses and communities to promote and protect the things that make our destination partners shine as places people want to visit. Measures like this ban only serve to stigmatise the cruise industry and do nothing to promote sustainable tourism, a cause that CLIA and its member companies are actively advancing in partnership with local communities in the region,’’ adds the association.

Meanwhile, Estrosi’s counterpart in Villefranche-sur-Mer, Mayor Christophe Trojani says that in the years to 2010, the town hosted around 200 calls a year and since then, the average has dropped to 70. “We have signed a convention concerning sustainable cruising and all the ships which anchor here comply with its environmental regulations,’’ says Trojani.

He adds that the convention was renewed in 2025 for the strict supervision of cruise calls in Villefranche, including a limit of one cruise ship per day hosting a maximum of 3,500 passengers and that he is ready to discuss again with the Nice métropole.

For 2025, Villefranche is booked to receive 89 cruise calls and 40 of those are set to take place before the July 1 ban comes into force. Out of the 49 left only 10 calls with up to 900 passengers will comply with the decree, prompting Celebrity Cruises and Royal Caribbean International to be especially concerned.

Jean-François Suhas, President of the Marseille Cruise Club and accomplished maritime pilot, points out the some EUR 600m economic benefit that the cruise industry brings to the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region.

The Maritime Workers Union also highlighted the consequences of this decision on professionals involved in the maritime and tourism sector at an economic and social level. It also expressed its deep concern, especially as the metropole recently signed the charter for sustainable cruising, in partnership with the French State and cruise lines.