Nice’s long-time mayor, Christian Estrosi, is struggling to clarify a solid position on the cruise ship restrictions he imposed mere weeks ago, vacillating on issues such as a cap on the number of passengers per ship allowed into the nearby port village of Villefranche-sur-Mer. Having previously argued that “these cruises have no place here”, Estrosi appears to be backtracking on his attempts to follow Monaco’s example of limiting the docking of cruise ships in its waters since 2023 in the name of establishing a more sustainable approach to tourism.
Earlier this year, Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi announced that the Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur would be placing a ban on all cruise ships carrying more than 900 passengers from entering the ports under its jurisdiction, effective this summer.
The decree of 24th January was reportedly pushed through without the consultation of Christophe Trojani, the mayor of the neighbouring village of Villefranche-sur-Mer, a port that welcomes thousands of cruise ship passengers each year, and while the decree was welcomed by environmental advocates in the region, Trojani and the retailers and merchants of Villefranche-sur-Mer are understood to have been infuriated by the news.
See more: Mayor of Nice calls for ban on cruise ships from this summer
Then, on 28th February, at an event where Estrosi hosted Canadian-American environmental activist Paul Watson, the founder of the anti-poaching and pro-marine conservation Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, Nice’s mayor reversed course. Two press releases issued that evening suggested that Estrosi and the Métropole would take a more lenient approach to cruise ships and their passengers, though the exact terms — and restrictions — remain unclear.
For example, the first notice outlined a 2,500-passenger cap per vessel. The second, released just three and a half hours later, removed that specific limit, stating instead that passenger restrictions would be discussed at the Port Council meeting on 7th March.
Both statements affirmed that Nice’s Port Lympia will no longer accommodate cruise ships carrying more than 450 passengers, effective this summer. Additionally, only one cruise ship per day will be allowed for a total of 65 days per year in Villefranche-sur-Mer. This differs from 2024, when Villefranche-sur-Mer received 80 cruise liners.
The Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur is currently bound by an agreement, valid until 31st December 2025, that caps cruise passengers at 3,500 per ship — a figure far higher than the 900-passenger limit put forward by Estrosi in January. Despite the potential revision to 2,500 passengers, Trojani has refused to endorse any changes, telling the press, “We are going to negotiate a new agreement.”
“Since 2020, we have cut the number of ships by three and halved the number of passengers,” he said, as reported by France 3 Côte d’Azur. “We now host fewer cruise tourists than in 2010, dropping from 442,000 to approximately 150,000 to 200,000. We are at the beginning of a cycle of discussions. The decree of 24th January is no longer relevant.”
In comparison to its neighbours on the Riviera, the Principality of Monaco implemented a strict policy back in 2023 that only permits cruise ships under 250 metres in length and with a maximum capacity of 1,250 passengers to enter its ports. The regulations came into force at the wishes of Prince Albert II of Monaco, a staunch supporter of environmental conservation projects.
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