Measures taken by European cities regarding cruises

"The question many of our residents had was: 'What do we get from these cruise ships? They don't pay anything to the city of Dubrovnik,'" said Mayor Mato Franković, describing the cruise tax, which was implemented in 2021 and is set to increase, as a "win-win" situation.

In October 2023, Barcelona closed one of its eight cruise terminals, leaving open only those furthest from the city's residential areas. This, combined with the rule of one cruise ship per terminal, has limited the city to accepting only seven cruise ships at a time.

Meanwhile, the Mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, is seeking to increase the municipal fees paid by cruise passengers (currently 7 euros), especially for those who stay in the city for less than 12 hours, as these passengers "occupy a large portion of public space without any benefit to the city, creating a sense of occupation and congestion," as he told El País. "We want tourism that respects its destination," he added.

Venice has banned the docking of cruise ships to protect its cultural heritage.

In Marseille, residents have been protesting over at least the past five years against cruise ships in their city, arguing that they "destroy" the city and degrade the quality of life. In 2022, 50,000 city residents signed a petition as part of the campaign against cruise ships.

In Amsterdam, the city council voted to close the cruise terminal in an effort to reduce pollution and decrease the number of tourists. However, the most likely solution seems to be relocating the terminal outside the city centre.

KATERINA STOGIOU