Cruise ships may avoid European hotspots where ‘passengers won’t be treated well’
The European head of the world’s largest cruise ship trade body has warned that its members may need to avoid some of the world’s most popular destinations to protect passengers amid a backlash against overtourism.
Several European cities have expressed frustration with the surge in tourists and the impact it has had on the prices of everything from food to accommodation and local ecosystems. The environmental footprint of tourism is a common complaint about the huge carbon emissions of cruise ships.
In Barcelona, a popular stop for cruise ships, locals have taken to spraying tourists with water gunsProtesters in Spain’s Canary Islands began a hunger strike in April to protest overcrowding.
Last October, cruise ship passengers were greeted by protesters. dress up as polar bear and sea lion as they landed in the French port of Brittany, a move that showed support for the industry’s pollution problem.
A study from advocacy group Transport & Environment has found European luxury cruise ship emits the same amount of toxic sulfur as 1 billion cars.
A rising tide
As protests have become increasingly hostile, the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) has suggested it may have to divert ships to protect passengers from violence.
“There will be some consideration of adjusting itineraries if for some reason we feel that all passengers will not be treated well,” said Marie-Caroline Laurent, CLIA Europe director, speak Reuters.
Laurent did not specify which cities were likely to be dropped from the schedule, but this is likely to be the case following the wave of protests across the continent in recent months.
Mayor of Barcelona, Most popular in Europe The cruise ship port said the city cannot handle more than the 3.5 million passengers it is handling by 2023.
CLIA defended its presence in Barcelona, saying only 4% of visitors to the city are cruise passengers.
Venice, where cruise ships banned from the center in 2021, introduced the so-called “Tourist Tax”to deter or make more money from day visitors coming to the city this summer, months after moving to restrict group size can gather in the city.
Meanwhile, Amsterdam, plans to cut by nearly half number of cruise ships that could stop at the country’s ports each year by 2026 and a total ban by 2035.
And in Greece, locals have used drones to monitor new sun lounger regulations aimed at stop overload on the beaches of the country.
Despite growing complaints about a lack of hospitality, the global cruise industry will still carry 10.7% more passengers in 2028 than in 2023, when 31.7 million people boarded ships.
