Bar Harbor residents reject effort to replace cruise ship cap

MAINE PUBLIC • November 6, 2024

Bar Harbor's contentious cruise ship visitor cap will stay in place after residents voted down a referendum to repeal it. The effort failed by just 63 votes — 1,776 residents voted against the measure and 1,713 voted in favor. The question asked voters to repeal a 1,000-person cap instituted in 2022 after a citizens petition. It would have replaced that policy with a new proposal from the town council, which would have allowed up to 3,200 visitors per day, and was supported by some local businesses that oppose the harsher cap.