Barcelona will double the tourist tax charged to cruise passengers in a move aimed at reducing congestion in one of Europe’s busiest destinations.
City officials said the daily levy for cruise travellers will rise from 4 euros to 8 euros, with the change due to take effect in the coming months. The higher fee will apply to visitors who spend less than 12 hours in the city.
Barcelona’s mayor, Jaume Collboni, said the city wanted to curb the impact of short-stay cruise tourism, which he argued added to crowding while bringing limited economic benefit. The city also plans to reduce the number of cruise terminals from seven to five and is considering further increases to the tax, subject to approval from the Catalan government.
The latest measures mark a wider effort by Barcelona to reshape the kind of tourism it wants to attract. City leaders say they want higher-spending visitors and less pressure on public services, transport and public space.
The city is one of Europe’s most popular cruise destinations, with its port handling seven international passenger terminals. Officials have now made clear that they want to move away from tourism driven by brief stopovers.
Barcelona’s plans also extend beyond cruise traffic. The city government says it wants to phase out short-term rental accommodation by 2028, in another attempt to tackle overtourism and rising pressure on housing.
Speaking about the approach, Collboni said: “Tourism should serve the city, not the other way around. We want high-quality tourism, which is why we are renovating the Fira de Barcelona exhibition center and catering to business tourists. What we don’t want is mass tourism, which is why we will gradually phase out short-term rental accommodations by 2028.”
The tax increase comes as European destinations continue to wrestle with how to manage large visitor numbers without harming local life. Barcelona’s move suggests the city is now prepared to use pricing and limits on port activity to control demand.
For cruise operators, the new levy will add to the cost of short city calls. For Barcelona, officials hope it will reduce the volume of day-trippers and ease pressure on the centre.
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