BARCELONA is bringing in a new cruise tax which will see the per-passenger levy doubled to €8 (approximately A$13).
The city’s goal is to eliminate transit cruises altogether, and operate solely as a home port.
All cruise ship passengers who stay in the city for less than 12 hours will be hit with the charge, unless they are embarking or disembarking a ship.
The new measure will be carried out from next year.
“My goal is to reduce cruise ship stopovers in the city of Barcelona to zero in the coming years,” mayor Jaume Collboni said, as reported by the United Kingdom’s Daily Express.
Collboni said additional revenue will be reinvested in the management of high-traffic areas, as well as in improving the quality of life in the districts most affected by the constant flow of cruise passengers.
Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) said in a statement to travelBulletin it is seeking further detail of the plan, following the mayor’s comments.
“We support fact-based dialogue on sustainable tourism, grounded in credible local data and focused on balancing resident priorities, destination management, environmental progress, and the important economic and social value cruise brings to Barcelona and Catalonia,” the statement read.
Ports of the State, which manages Spain’s government-owned ports, reported a record Barcelona last year announced it is set to limit cruise ship traffic altogether by the end of the decade, amid overtourism pressures facing the destination.
Barcelona is set to significantly reduce its cruise ship terminal capacity by 2030, with the building of a new facility set to consolidate three berths into one.
This will see the total number of calls available at the port fall from seven to five, which will lower the city’s cruise capacity from 37,000 to 31,000.
Barcelona has also recently come under fire for doubling its overnight municipal surcharge, and increasing its coach tour tax from €20 to €80.
