The goal is clear: to reduce to zero the presence of these ships that stay only a few hours in the Catalan capital. To achieve this, the mayor has proposed a considerable increase in the tourist tax applied to these visitors.
“"The objective is to reduce them to zero."
The proposal includes a 3 euro increase in the tourist tax for short-stay cruise passengers starting in 2027, raising the total cost to 14 euros per person. Additionally, conversations have begun with the Government of the Generalitat to explore the possibility of applying further increases in the coming years.
The additional funds collected through this measure would be allocated to finance the public resources and services that cruise passengers use in the city. The mayor emphasized that stopover cruises generate intensive use of public space without a relevant economic counterpart for the local economy.
For these changes to be implemented, the municipal government will need to secure a political agreement in the municipal plenary to update the fiscal ordinances. Subsequently, the approval of the Generalitat will be essential to apply the municipal surcharge to the tourist tax for stopover cruises in Barcelona.
