Barcelona’s Mayor Jaume Collboni announced plans to increase the tourist tax for cruise passengers who spend less than 12 hours in the city. This decision comes as a response to the city’s growing concerns about tourism overcrowding.
In 2023, Barcelona welcomed 803 cruise ships, which brought nearly 3.5 million passengers to the city. This number set a new record, surpassing pre-pandemic levels by 13.7 percent.
This year, Barcelona is poised to beat that number. In the first half of 2024, Barcelona received a record 530 ship calls, marking a 15 percent increase compared to last year.
As a result of increased tourism, the city’s streets have recently been the scene of anti-tourism protests, with locals spraying visitors with water and throwing debris and trash at them.
In response, Collboni told Spanish news outlet El País in an interview about combatting tourism, “We want to increase the tourist tax for cruise passengers who spend less than 12 hours in Barcelona. This is about protecting the quality of life for our residents and ensuring that visitors contribute fairly to the city’s economy.”
Currently, cruise passengers pay €7 per day. While the exact amount of the increase has not been disclosed, Collboni’s increase would be significantly higher in an attempt to discourage short-term visits.
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In addition, Collboni’s administration is proposing several other measures to manage tourism effectively, including reducing the number of tourist apartments. The goal is to eliminate 10,000 apartments by 2028, freeing up housing for residents and addressing the city’s housing crisis, exacerbated by the proliferation of short-term rentals catering to tourists.
The city’s approach also includes limiting the number of cruise ships and passengers to control the influx of tourists. The proposal includes partial bans on certain days and at specific times to distribute the tourism load more evenly and prevent overcrowding in popular areas.
“I would like Barcelona to be an example of a city that has managed to have tourism and that this tourism does not go to the detriment of the right of the city,” said Collbini. “We have scheduled visits from cities throughout Europe and the rest of Spain who come to see that it is possible to do so.”
Barcelona Plans to Tighten Restrictions as Cruise Industry Flourishes
While Spain’s national authorities have been hesitant to implement outright bans on cruise ships, citing the cruise industry’s significant contribution to the national economy, Barcelona is pushing more and more against cruise lines.
In October 2023, it implemented a partial ban on cruise ships docking at its northern docks, specifically the World Trade Center area and the Muelle Barcelona Norte. Instead, cruise ships must dock at the Moll d’Adossat pier, which is farther from central tourist areas.
The ban was designed to shift cruise ship traffic to more suitable areas and alleviate the pressure on popular tourist spots.
Collboni and his administration expressed support for further limitations on the number of cruise ships and passengers. The team has proposed reducing the number of cruise ships allowed to dock daily from 10 to 7 ships.
The city is also exploring removing a terminal to further control the number of cruise passengers, although it also recently opened a new terminal capable of hosting 10 ships at once earlier in 2024.
As tensions continue to rise, the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) has threatened cruise lines may boycott Barcelona and other Spanish cities for the safety of passengers.
Warning cities like Barcelona that they are ruining their reputation and putting off travelers, CLIA suggests cruise lines will increase visits to more tourism-friendly destinations. As it anticipates cruise capacity will increase 10 percent in the next five years, this could significantly boost economies eager to welcome cruise guests without limitations and taxes.
