It will harder to get to Key West by cruise ship, after residents recently voted to impose new restrictions on cruise ships pulling into America’s southernmost point.
Voters passed three referendums:
- One prohibits any cruise ship carrying more than 1,300 passengers from docking in Key West
- A second limits the total numbers of visitors to Key West from cruise ships to 1,500 per day.
- A third prioritizes dock access for cruise lines with the best health and environmental records.
The votes on these measures weren’t even close among residents. More than 60% of residents voted to limit the numbers visiting. 81% voted for prioritizing cruise lines with better records.
Whatever you think of the action, it will be a major hit on the Key West tourism economy. In 2019, cruise ships brought nearly a million visitors to the isalnd. That’s nearly a half of all visitors to the Conch Republic.
In essence, cruise lines like Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Norwegian and Disney are now too big to visit, but smaller boutique type cruise operators will still be able to visit.
Keep track of the latest travel news and trends at edthetravelguy.com.
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