1 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:06,480 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of iHeart Radio, Hey 2 00:00:06,480 --> 00:00:11,200 Speaker 1: brain Stuff Lauren vogelbom here. It seems an unlikely move, 3 00:00:11,640 --> 00:00:16,280 Speaker 1: especially after an economically devastating pandemic, but ports cities around 4 00:00:16,280 --> 00:00:20,079 Speaker 1: the globe are snatching back their welcome mats, saying over 5 00:00:20,160 --> 00:00:23,759 Speaker 1: tourism from cruise ships is more harmful than beneficial to 6 00:00:23,800 --> 00:00:29,560 Speaker 1: their towns, and many citizens and small businesses agree. Residents 7 00:00:29,600 --> 00:00:33,559 Speaker 1: of Key West, Florida, voted in November to ban the 8 00:00:33,640 --> 00:00:37,200 Speaker 1: largest cruise ships from their port, plus limit the number 9 00:00:37,200 --> 00:00:40,640 Speaker 1: of passengers who can disembark daily to one five hundred, 10 00:00:41,040 --> 00:00:45,560 Speaker 1: a number less than half that of early Many say 11 00:00:45,560 --> 00:00:48,760 Speaker 1: the throngs of cruise ship tourists are causing low brow 12 00:00:48,840 --> 00:00:53,040 Speaker 1: souvenir shops to proliferate in the city's historic downtown, while 13 00:00:53,120 --> 00:00:56,720 Speaker 1: the massive ships wreak havoc offshore on fragile coral reefs 14 00:00:56,760 --> 00:00:59,840 Speaker 1: and game fish. In the year that cruise ships have 15 00:00:59,880 --> 00:01:03,560 Speaker 1: been grounded because of the COVID nineteen pandemic, locals say 16 00:01:03,560 --> 00:01:07,440 Speaker 1: the offshore waters have been cleaner, and some small business 17 00:01:07,440 --> 00:01:10,560 Speaker 1: owners say they aren't benefiting from the ships either, as 18 00:01:10,560 --> 00:01:14,400 Speaker 1: passengers typically aren't lingering long enough to patronize their restaurants 19 00:01:14,400 --> 00:01:19,320 Speaker 1: in or boutiques. On the Spanish island of Majorca, more 20 00:01:19,400 --> 00:01:22,360 Speaker 1: than twelve thousand people signed a petition to similarly limit 21 00:01:22,400 --> 00:01:24,920 Speaker 1: the number of cruise ships and passengers stopping in its 22 00:01:25,040 --> 00:01:28,480 Speaker 1: port of Palma, noting Palma is the second most polluted 23 00:01:28,480 --> 00:01:31,920 Speaker 1: ports city in Europe according to Transport and Environment, a 24 00:01:31,959 --> 00:01:36,080 Speaker 1: sustainable transport group. The petition also says that the throngs 25 00:01:36,080 --> 00:01:39,319 Speaker 1: of passengers that swarm through Palma's streets a creed a 26 00:01:39,440 --> 00:01:43,959 Speaker 1: theme park atmosphere that's causing residents to flee and over 27 00:01:44,000 --> 00:01:47,600 Speaker 1: In Venice, the Italian city famed for its canals, banned 28 00:01:47,720 --> 00:01:50,720 Speaker 1: large crews and container ships from the Venice Lagoon in 29 00:01:50,760 --> 00:01:54,880 Speaker 1: early in part because the ships pollute the environment and 30 00:01:54,920 --> 00:01:59,000 Speaker 1: a road the city's historic foundations. The UNESCO World Heritage 31 00:01:59,000 --> 00:02:02,080 Speaker 1: Committee applauded the move, which it had been pushing for since. 32 00:02:04,680 --> 00:02:07,920 Speaker 1: Yet not everyone agrees the cruise ships should sail away, 33 00:02:08,360 --> 00:02:12,440 Speaker 1: for cruising is big business. Some thirty million people boarded 34 00:02:12,440 --> 00:02:16,120 Speaker 1: cruise ships in twenty nineteen, according to the one State 35 00:02:16,160 --> 00:02:18,920 Speaker 1: of the Cruise Industry report prepared by the Cruise Lines 36 00:02:18,960 --> 00:02:22,679 Speaker 1: International Association, which is the world's largest Cruise Industry Trade 37 00:02:22,720 --> 00:02:26,480 Speaker 1: Association that was up from seventeen point eight million in 38 00:02:26,480 --> 00:02:29,240 Speaker 1: two thousand nine, a sixty eight percent increase over just 39 00:02:29,320 --> 00:02:33,960 Speaker 1: ten years. More impressively, these thirty million cruisers powered an 40 00:02:33,960 --> 00:02:37,840 Speaker 1: industry that employed one point two million people worldwide, while 41 00:02:37,840 --> 00:02:40,840 Speaker 1: pumping more than a hundred and fifty four billion dollars 42 00:02:40,919 --> 00:02:45,399 Speaker 1: into the global economy. And despite the COVID nineteen pandemic 43 00:02:45,480 --> 00:02:49,359 Speaker 1: that initially proliferated in cruise ships, the report says vacationers 44 00:02:49,400 --> 00:02:53,120 Speaker 1: aren't worried about heading back out on the seas. Percent 45 00:02:53,240 --> 00:02:55,800 Speaker 1: of regular cruisers report that they're likely to go on 46 00:02:55,880 --> 00:02:58,960 Speaker 1: another one within the next few years, while an impressive 47 00:02:59,040 --> 00:03:02,040 Speaker 1: fifty eight percent of international vacationers who have never cruised 48 00:03:02,080 --> 00:03:04,640 Speaker 1: before are likely to do so, according to the report. 49 00:03:06,080 --> 00:03:09,280 Speaker 1: With so much business at stake, the Florida legislature pushed 50 00:03:09,280 --> 00:03:13,320 Speaker 1: back against Key West's cruise ship ban. In April one, 51 00:03:13,480 --> 00:03:17,040 Speaker 1: the legislature passed a transportation bill that included an amendment 52 00:03:17,200 --> 00:03:20,520 Speaker 1: taking away the port city's right to restrict cruise ship operations. 53 00:03:21,200 --> 00:03:24,760 Speaker 1: Backers argued that restricting cruise ships will eliminate jobs and 54 00:03:24,880 --> 00:03:27,880 Speaker 1: millions of dollars, and cruise related taxes for both Key 55 00:03:27,919 --> 00:03:30,560 Speaker 1: West and other regions of the state that also benefit 56 00:03:30,600 --> 00:03:33,200 Speaker 1: from the ships. The bill now goes to Governor Ron 57 00:03:33,280 --> 00:03:38,480 Speaker 1: De Santis for approval. In Southeast Alaska, where cruising is 58 00:03:38,480 --> 00:03:41,000 Speaker 1: a huge part of the economy, the absence of cruise 59 00:03:41,080 --> 00:03:44,360 Speaker 1: tourists during the pandemic shutdown resulted in a two hundred 60 00:03:44,360 --> 00:03:47,240 Speaker 1: and fifty million dollar hit to catch a can Alone, 61 00:03:47,640 --> 00:03:50,480 Speaker 1: a tiny port city with a population of just eight thousand, 62 00:03:50,480 --> 00:03:54,640 Speaker 1: five hundred and in Galveston, Texas, one of North America's 63 00:03:54,680 --> 00:03:57,440 Speaker 1: busiest home ports, at the only cruise port in the state. 64 00:03:57,960 --> 00:04:01,560 Speaker 1: COVID related losses were estimated at twenty three thousand jobs 65 00:04:01,600 --> 00:04:06,520 Speaker 1: and one point two billion dollars in direct spending. For 66 00:04:06,680 --> 00:04:09,240 Speaker 1: the article, this episode is based on how Stuff Works, 67 00:04:09,280 --> 00:04:13,080 Speaker 1: spoke with Heidi Allison, a travel consultant who thinks that 68 00:04:13,360 --> 00:04:16,280 Speaker 1: ultimately it's this kind of big money that will limit 69 00:04:16,320 --> 00:04:19,760 Speaker 1: the number of ports slamming shut their doors, especially after 70 00:04:19,800 --> 00:04:23,920 Speaker 1: the economic losses caused by COVID nineteen. She said, there 71 00:04:23,960 --> 00:04:26,839 Speaker 1: are so many ports of call, people in small businesses 72 00:04:26,920 --> 00:04:29,760 Speaker 1: that would love to have the cruise business. I'll bet 73 00:04:29,800 --> 00:04:32,240 Speaker 1: everyone will be happy to welcome back any kind of 74 00:04:32,240 --> 00:04:36,360 Speaker 1: business they can get. Allison also notes that the cruise 75 00:04:36,400 --> 00:04:40,599 Speaker 1: industry is working diligently to create balanced, sustainable tourism, but 76 00:04:40,720 --> 00:04:44,200 Speaker 1: it's not a quick fix. She said. The problem is 77 00:04:44,320 --> 00:04:47,520 Speaker 1: you have these big cruise ships that, like cars, weren't 78 00:04:47,560 --> 00:04:50,679 Speaker 1: built in the beginning to protect the environment. It takes 79 00:04:50,760 --> 00:04:55,039 Speaker 1: years and years to adapt and change, but change is 80 00:04:55,080 --> 00:04:58,960 Speaker 1: in the works. The Cruise Lines International Association's report says 81 00:04:59,040 --> 00:05:01,360 Speaker 1: the industry has in did at twenty three point five 82 00:05:01,400 --> 00:05:05,320 Speaker 1: billion dollars in ships with new technologies, advanced wastewater treatment 83 00:05:05,360 --> 00:05:09,799 Speaker 1: systems and cleaner fuels, plus is targeting a fort reduction 84 00:05:09,839 --> 00:05:12,839 Speaker 1: in carbon emissions by twenty thirty compared to two thousand 85 00:05:12,839 --> 00:05:16,200 Speaker 1: and eight. The industry is also working toward more shore 86 00:05:16,240 --> 00:05:19,440 Speaker 1: side electricity capability so that ships can turn off their 87 00:05:19,480 --> 00:05:22,120 Speaker 1: diesel engines when in port and tap into the city's 88 00:05:22,160 --> 00:05:27,520 Speaker 1: electrical grid instead. As nice as all of this sounds, 89 00:05:27,640 --> 00:05:31,400 Speaker 1: import cities and cruise critics say more is needed. The 90 00:05:31,440 --> 00:05:35,560 Speaker 1: association is partnering with locales like do Brevnick, Croatia, for example, 91 00:05:35,839 --> 00:05:38,640 Speaker 1: to better manage the arrival and departure of ships to 92 00:05:38,720 --> 00:05:43,440 Speaker 1: reduce overcrowding. In this UNESCO World heritage site, and Barcelona 93 00:05:43,640 --> 00:05:46,279 Speaker 1: is working hard to promote itself as a home port, 94 00:05:47,040 --> 00:05:49,320 Speaker 1: but it's one of Europe's hardest hit cities when it 95 00:05:49,360 --> 00:05:53,560 Speaker 1: comes to cruise, ship pollution and overcrowding. So Barcelona prefers 96 00:05:53,600 --> 00:05:56,039 Speaker 1: to welcome passengers who will hang out in town for 97 00:05:56,080 --> 00:05:58,560 Speaker 1: a few days rather than those who drop in just 98 00:05:58,720 --> 00:06:03,000 Speaker 1: for an hour two. That's partly because passengers spend more 99 00:06:03,040 --> 00:06:06,479 Speaker 1: money in home ports. The association's reports says that the 100 00:06:06,520 --> 00:06:09,400 Speaker 1: average passenger in twenty nineteen spent an average of a 101 00:06:09,520 --> 00:06:12,520 Speaker 1: hundred dollars in port cities visited during a cruise, but 102 00:06:12,600 --> 00:06:15,320 Speaker 1: a more substantial three hundred and eighty five dollars in 103 00:06:15,360 --> 00:06:19,200 Speaker 1: home ports visited before boarding a ship. Passengers staying in 104 00:06:19,200 --> 00:06:21,680 Speaker 1: a city for a few days are also less disruptive 105 00:06:21,720 --> 00:06:24,400 Speaker 1: to the area compared with the hundreds that often spill 106 00:06:24,440 --> 00:06:27,040 Speaker 1: out of a ship during a short port stop than 107 00:06:27,240 --> 00:06:32,640 Speaker 1: raced the same few destinations. Despite some valid issues brought 108 00:06:32,680 --> 00:06:36,080 Speaker 1: up by cruise critics, cruising is likely here to stay. 109 00:06:36,800 --> 00:06:39,640 Speaker 1: Millions love to sail the seas, and many others are 110 00:06:39,640 --> 00:06:43,920 Speaker 1: financially dependent on the industry. The key to creating harmony 111 00:06:44,000 --> 00:06:47,360 Speaker 1: between ships and ports cities As with so much in life, 112 00:06:47,680 --> 00:06:56,880 Speaker 1: is cooperation, care and respect. Today's episode is based on 113 00:06:56,920 --> 00:07:00,160 Speaker 1: the article COVID nineteen or Not Many port Cities want 114 00:07:00,200 --> 00:07:02,680 Speaker 1: to band cruise ships on how stuff works dot Com. 115 00:07:02,720 --> 00:07:05,839 Speaker 1: Written by Melanie Red Zekie mc bannetts. Brain Stuff is 116 00:07:05,839 --> 00:07:08,240 Speaker 1: production by Heart Radio in partnership with how stuff Works 117 00:07:08,240 --> 00:07:10,920 Speaker 1: dot Com and is produced by Tyler Klein. For more 118 00:07:10,920 --> 00:07:14,560 Speaker 1: podcasts my heart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 119 00:07:14,640 --> 00:07:16,400 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.