Cruise ship crackdown hits tourist hot spot as…
One of Europe’s most crowded tourist cities is cracking down on cruises and their passengers, with the mayor of town pushing to fast-track a tax hike on short-stay passengers.
Barcelona mayor Jaume Collboni on Wednesday said he desires cruise passengers to pay up to $9.30 (8 euros) per evening, a 100% increase from the current $4.65 price (4 euros).
The news was reported by El País, Spain’s paper of document, after Collboni appeared on Betevé, the local community.
The tax would apply to cruise passengers docking in Barcelona.
Barcelona’s City Council agreed last July to steadily increase the tax to $9.30 (8 euros), El País reported — and while the council agreed to raise it over the next 4 years, Collboni is advocating for an instant daily increase.
“In the coming months, we will raise the tourist tax … so that it comes into force in the next few months and not in four years as we had agreed,” the mayor said, according to El País.
Barcelona mayor Jaume Collboni desires to immediately double the tourist tax on cruise passengers. AFP via Getty Images
“I want to discourage the arrival of cruise passengers,” he also said.
Collboni said he hopes to scale back the quantity of cruise passengers who stop over in town — as opposed to beginning or ending journeys in town — to zero.
“Tourism must serve the city, not the other way around,” he said.
“We want quality tourism, which is why we are renewing the Fira de Barcelona. We are interested in business visitors,” Collboni added.
Collboni goals to deter “mass tourism,” particularly concentrating on short-stay cruise guests in Barcelona. nito – stock.adobe.com
“What we do not want is mass tourism — and that is why we will eliminate tourist apartments in 2028.”
Collboni also said he plans to run for re-election, which can be held in May 2027, El País reported.
“My intention is to govern with a left-wing majority,” said Collboni.
“I want to turn Barcelona into the grave of the far right.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Collboni’s workplace for remark.
The transfer is one of a number of steps Barcelona has taken in its wrestle with overtourism.
Barcelona beforehand cut cruise terminals and hiked other customer taxes to fight overtourism. Pawel Pajor – stock.adobe.com
In 2024, Barcelona’s metropolis council agreed to scale back cruise terminals from seven to 5 in the curiosity of limiting cruise arrivals.
In March, Barcelona practically doubled its customer tax to among the very best in Europe to fight mass tourism.
The metropolis’s lodge visitor tax elevated to between $10 and $17 per particular person per evening, while taxes on vacation leases rose to about $14 per evening.
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