World’s Most Popular Tourist Destination Issues Steep New Fee For Americans As Cruise Lines Unfairly Blamed For Overtourism
France just approved a cruise ship tax that is set to cost American passengers more, not long after the Louvre Museum announced a 45% increase in fees affecting U.S. travelers. This new per-passenger tax, to be paid at each cruise port, is reportedly an initiative to conserve France’s beautiful coasts.
The “Country of Love,” along with several European nations, has been notably clamping down on cruise ships recently due to overtourism. But according to the numbers, cruise lines are getting a disproportionate amount of blame for the mass tourism problem in France and across the continent.
Here is a closer look at France’s latest cruise tax and how much cruise ships really contribute to its visitor traffic as the world’s most popular tourist destination.
France Approves New Cruise Tax As Cruise Lines Get Unfairly Blamed For Overtourism
Azamara Journey mega oceanic cruise ship in Nice Port and yacht marina district on the French RivieraCredit: ArtMediaFactory/Shutterstock
On Monday (Dec. 1), the French Senate’s right-wing majority approved a new tax on international cruise ships, charging $18 (€15) per passenger for every stop in a French port under the “polluters pay” principle. MSC Cruises’ Western Mediterranean Cruises, one of Americans’ top picks for French itineraries, usually make two to three stops in the country’s ports.
A vote is still expected this mid-December 2025 to pass France’s new cruise tax into law. The proposal must first be reviewed by the Assemblée nationale (National Assembly).
Three stops instantly total to at least $54 per passenger or over $52,000 per ship with 3,000 guests. Every major French port already charges cruise lines a list of fees to dock, which contributes to an estimated $100 to $200 in total port fees that each passenger pays for a typical seven-day Mediterranean cruise.
Critics Slam France’s New Cruise Tax As Unfair Overtourism Penalty
Some critics, including the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), believe that France’s new tax aims to drive cruise liners away from its ports amid overtourism concerns. Cities on the French Riviera have been particularly vocal about this issue. Starting in 2026, Cannes is limiting its daily number of cruise passenger visits to 6,000 and aims to ban all ships with more than 1,300 people by 2030.
The Mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, even attempted to impose a ban on ships carrying more than 900 passengers, which would have eliminated 70% of the cruisers that are scheduled to visit there. However, the heat on cruise liners amid this mass tourism problem is unfair, as stressed by the CLIA.
“Cruise visitors represent only a small share of maritime traffic, yet generate significant economic value for French destinations, which totals €7 billion to the country’s economy, including 39,000 jobs and €3.2 billion in GDP,” CLIA told Seatrade Cruise News in response to France’s new cruise tax.
Indeed, the 2.4 million cruise passengers that passed through French ports in 2024 only accounted for 10.1% of France’s total maritime traffic of 23.8 million that year. The remaining 89.9% consisted of ferries and other sea transport, according to Eurostat’s report. Reacting to the
France Is Consistently The World’s Most Popular Tourist Destination
France consistently hosts the highest number of international tourist arrivals in the world. Last year, the country welcomed more than 100 million foreign visitors. It set a new record for France, not just in tourist numbers, but also in generated international revenue: nearly $83 billion (€71 billion). The World Travel & Tourism Council even said that France was on track to surpass its 2024 tourism record as early as June 2025.
However, this has also led to a significant surge in overtourism backlash, with widespread protests in Paris and Marseille, a port city in Southern France. Back in the summer, residents of Marseille pointed at cruise ships over the increasing air pollution in the city, which has led to the rise of “respiratory and cardiovascular issues” among locals.
But Alexandre Armengaud, head of scientific and international cooperation at Atmosud (air quality monitoring agency in France), noted that while this pollution comes from maritime traffic, it is “multisource” and could come from “other means of transportation, industrial pollution and wood burning.”
