The volume of tourists arriving in Barcelona by cruise ship has a limited impact on the city's overall tourism activity. According to the findings of the first comprehensive study on the sector's impact, conducted by the University of Girona, cruise passengers do not exceed 7.5% of the total daily visitors, with the average hovering around 2.5%.

The research, titled “Cuantificación del turismo de cruceros en Barcelona” (Quantification of cruise tourism in Barcelona), was the result of collaboration between several key sector entities, including the cruise association Clia, the Port of Barcelona, Turisme de Barcelona, Telefónica Tech, and the Gremi de Hotelers (Hotel Association). The presentation event was attended by the director of Clia Spain, Alfredo Serrano, the Director of Communication for the Port of Barcelona, Núria Burguera, and researchers Josep Maria Espinet and Mar Pérez.

Alfredo Serrano highlighted the study's importance as a "necessary tool to improve data transparency and measure its real impact," emphasizing that the relationship between tourist congestion and cruise ships is often not deeply analyzed. Telefónica's collaboration was crucial, providing connectivity data to track cruise passenger mobility.

The study, as explained by Josep Maria Espinet, not only analyzes visitor volume but also their intensity and daily/hourly distribution. It was noted that the months with lower influx are between December and March, with a peak during the summer. On only 32 days a year do cruise passengers exceed 5% of the total daily visitors, never reaching 7.5%.