Popular Spanish holiday island considers banning cruise ships under tough new rules
Majorca is considering banning large cruise ships from visiting the island and imposing a tourist tax on cruise passengers.
Cruise holidays might be popular but they can be controversial. While many holidaymakers love exploring the world from the water, local residents are often concerned about overtourism and pollution.
Popular European destinations, including Santorini, Dubrovnik and Amsterdam, have already introduced limits on ships.
Now, Majorca, one of Spain’s leading holiday islands, is considering banning large cruise ships from visiting the island.
Mayor Jaime Martinez has proposed a ban on large ships and to only allow ships that use Majorca as their home port to visit the island.
If the plans go ahead, only small or medium-sized cruise ships would be allowed to dock in Majorca.
The mayor is also proposing a tourist tax for cruise passengers. The tax could be paid when tourists arrive in port with another potential tax serving as a fee to enter Palma.
If the plans go ahead, cruise passengers could potentially be facing a double tax to visit Majorca.
Venice recently introduced a tax for day visitors, who have to pay when they arrive in the Italian city.
Under Majorca’s current cruise rules, only three ships are allowed to visit the island each day and only one of those can carry more than 5,000 passengers.
The mayor’s plan has seen some opposition, with Spain’s far-right party, Vox, saying the move would impact Majorca’s tourism industry.
Palma’s cruise season mainly runs between June and August and mega-ships are expected to visit the port this year.
