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One of Europe’s most crowded tourist cities is cracking down on cruises and their passengers, with the mayor of the city pushing to fast-track a tax hike on short-stay passengers.
Barcelona mayor Jaume Collboni on Wednesday said he wants cruise passengers to pay up to $9.30 (8 euros) per night, a 100% increase from the current $4.65 rate (4 euros).
The news was reported by El País, Spain’s paper of record, after Collboni appeared on Betevé, the local network.
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The tax would apply to cruise passengers docking in Barcelona.
Barcelona’s City Council agreed last July to gradually increase the tax to $9.30 (8 euros), El País reported — and while the council agreed to raise it over the next four years, Collboni is advocating for an immediate daily increase.
Cruise passengers who briefly stop in Barcelona could soon face significantly higher daily taxes under the mayor’s proposal. (Pau Barrena/AFP)
“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.
“I want to discourage the arrival of cruise passengers,” he also said.
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Collboni said he hopes to reduce the number of cruise passengers who stop over in the city — as opposed to starting or finishing journeys in the city — to zero.
“Tourism must serve the city, not the other way around,” he said.
Barcelona officials are moving forward with plans to increase cruise passenger taxes as part of a broader push to curb overtourism in the city. (iStock)
“We want quality tourism, which is why we are renewing the Fira de Barcelona. We are interested in business visitors,” Collboni added.
“What we do not want is mass tourism — and that is why we will eliminate tourist apartments in 2028.”
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Collboni also said he plans to run for re-election, which will be held in May 2027, El País reported.
Barcelona Mayor Jaume Collboni, pictured, said he plans to seek re-election in May 2027 while advancing policies aimed at reducing overtourism in the city. (Alberto Paredes/Europa Press via Getty Images)
“My intention is to govern with a left-wing majority,” said Collboni.
“I want to turn Barcelona into the grave of the far right.”
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Digital reached out to Collboni’s office for comment.
The move is one of several steps Barcelona has taken in its struggle with overtourism.
The proposed tax hike would double the current daily rate for cruise passengers stopping in Barcelona, according to city leadership. (iStock)
In 2024, Barcelona’s city council agreed to reduce cruise terminals from seven to five in the interest of limiting cruise arrivals.
In March, Barcelona nearly doubled its visitor tax to among the highest in Europe to combat mass tourism.
An anti-tourism placard is seen during the demonstration in Barcelona a few years ago. The demonstration involved symbolically closing hotel establishments, bars and restaurants while heading toward Barceloneta, one of the neighborhoods that suffers the most from the presence of tourism. (Paco Freire/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
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The city’s hotel guest tax increased to between $10 and $17 per person per night, while taxes on holiday rentals rose to about $14 per night.
