US cruise destination votes for tough tourist limits

Bar Harbor in Maine has voted for strict cruise ship limits (Image: Getty)Cruise holidays are extremely popular but some local residents in top destinations are fed up. A leading USA destination has now voted for strict limits on the number of cruise tourists.From 2024, only one thousand cruise passengers and crew will be allowed to disembark from cruise ships in Bar Harbor, Maine.Bar Harbor is a popular cruise destination with tourists travelling to sample the town’s lobster and explore surrounding nature.Following a petition by a local resident, the town will now put strict limits on the number of passengers allowed to disembark.Charles Sidman, the leader of the petition, said: ‘There is a vast and deep feeling in the town that we have been overrun by cruise ship traffic.’READ MORE: Cruise passenger moans about problem with balcony Bar Harbor often doubles in size when cruise tourists disembark (Image: Getty)In 2021, a survey found that the majority of locals in Bar Harbor were unhappy about the number of ships coming to the town.Over half of residents said that cruise ship tourism was more of a negative than a positive for the town.Bar Harbor already had restrictions in place which limited tourists to 3,500 per day in summer and 5,500 during the early and late parts of the cruise season.The town has around 5,000 permanent residents so would regularly double in size when large ships docked.DON’T MISSTravel chaos on Ryanair flight as woman refuses to give up seat [NEWS]Cruise guests issue passenger warning – costs ‘more money’ [CRUISE]New tourist rules could see Britons fined £650 in Spain’s Malaga [MALAGA] Many tourists visit Bar Harbor to enjoy lobster (Image: Getty) The world’s largest cruise ports (Image: Express)Cruise companies have faced pressure around the globe from a number of destinations in recent years.Barcelona has said it will increase tourist taxes for cruise passengers in a bid to tackle pollution from the ships.Campaigners in Norway have staged protests in several ports while Marseille in southern France has also been rocked by anti-cruise demonstrations.Anguilla, a Caribbean island, has said it will keep its cruise ship ban in place to avoid ‘negative impacts’ on the environment.