This Monday, January 20, during a back-to-school meeting with his supporters, the mayor of Nice Christian Estrosi announced that he wanted to “get rid of” next summer cruise ships that “have no place” in his common. A subject that has agitated the Côte d'Azur for many years, particularly in Cannes.
The essentials of the day: our exclusive selection
Every day, our editorial team reserves the best regional news for you. A selection just for you, to stay in touch with your regions.
France Télévisions uses your email address to send you the newsletter “Today’s essentials: our exclusive selection”. You can unsubscribe at any time via the link at the bottom of this newsletter. Our privacy policy
This is an announcement that few people expected. This Monday, January 20 in Nice, on the occasion of a “back to school evening” organized by the association Friends of the MayorChristian Estrosi stated that “cruises that pollute, that dump their low-cost clientele who consume nothing, but leave their waste behind, well, I say it: they have no place with us“.
The mayor of Nice and president of the Nice Côte d'Azur Metropolis wanted to be clearer at the end of her speech, to our colleagues from Nice-Presse, wishing to act “so that we are rid of cruise ships from July 1, 2025“.
With France 3 Côte d'Azur, Christian Estrosi clarified his announcement, confirming to us that he had “decided to ban, depending on the contracts signed in 2025, these large units and to only authorize those which do not exceed 190 meters and a capacity of 900 passengers, i.e. on average 70% less attendance“.
Today we have units which are real floating cities with up to more than 5,000 passengers. […]. These units in no way correspond to the model that we want to develop in terms of hospitality tourism.
Christian Estrosi, mayor of Nice,at France 3 Côte d’Azur.
The UDR deputy for Alpes-Maritimes Bernard Chaix reacted from the National Assembly to the announcement by the mayor of Nice, believing that it is a decision “exaggerated” :
duration of video: 00h01mn18s
Bernard Chaix, deputy of the UDR group, reacts this January 21 to Christian Estrosi's announcement of wanting to “get rid” from next summer of cruise ships which “have no place” in his commune. .
•
©FTV
The idea of prohibiting cruise passengers from getting too close to towns on the Riviera coast is not new. For years, the mayor of Cannes David Lisnard has made it one of his main fights.
In 2019, it notably imposed a charter on cruise operators in which they undertake to limit the sulfur content of their fuel to 0.1%, a condition required to be able to disembark in Cannes.
Finally, in 2024, the Cannes councilor who has since taken the head of the Association of Mayors of France denounced the powerlessness of local elected officials on these subjects off the coast. He then believed that these “floating buildings“represented”and problem both in terms of quality of life and the attractiveness of Cannes as well as environmental“.
► ALSO READ: Cruise ships and leisure platforms: the mayor of Cannes calls for changes to maritime law
Among the other precursors of this protest against the huge liners, we also find Venice, which a few years ago had made this protest one of the main markers of its policy against overtourism.
France 3 devoted a magazine to it in 2017:
In 2025, 124 cruise ship calls are currently planned at the port of Nice, including passengers in transit.
Related News :