The Italian Riviera was the last port of call for cruise ships that were out of service during the pandemic.
Fortune reported Monday that people who live close to the coast are unhappy about this.
According to one Italian lobbyist, around 100 large cruise ships are stored in or near Italian ports.
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Dozens upon dozens of cruise ships that were out of service during the pandemic, which brought down tourism and the demand for travel on these massive liners, have been docked off Italy for over a year.
According to Fortune, locals are not happy about unsightly liners that block the view of the seaside and make constant noise, which can have a negative impact on surrounding towns.
Fortune was told by Legambiente Liguria, an Italian environmental group. It said that around 100 large cruise ships are currently parked off the coast.
Fortune reported that MSC Cruise ships and Costa ships are included in this list. Some of these ships dock near Rome's main port, Civitavecchia. Fortune reports that others are docked at Palermo and Syracuse.
Three giant Costa cruise ships are docked near La Spezia. Eric J. Lyman, Fortune reporter, wrote that they have "motors running and lights on" with small crews.
Fortune reported that Tania Calenda, a La Spezia-based curator of art, said they are "an eyesore" and that everyone is tired of seeing them.
In July 2020, Costa Crociere cruise liners and MSC cruise ships docked at Civitavecchia in Italy. Max Rossi/Getty Images
Fortune was told by a vice president of Legambiente Liguria that the organization is looking into forming a petition asking the Italian government to stop cruise ship operators parking their ships in the most beautiful parts of Italy.
Insider reached out to Costa and MSC representatives but they did not respond to our requests for comment.
This is the hard reality of an industry that has been ravaged by the pandemic. Some cruise line operators claim that there is a return to demand.
In June, Arnold Donald, chief executive at international cruiseline company Carnival told Fox Business that there was "far more demand than there are ships available right now."
Carnival shares are still below their pre-pandemic levels. This suggests that investors aren't yet convinced by Carnival's optimism. Since January 2020, the stock has fallen 55%.
