Following a protest in which residents sprayed tourists with water guns, the mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, has said the port city would “substantially” raise the tourist tax for cruise passengers visiting the city for fewer than 12 hours.
The tourist tax for stopover cruise tourism passengers is currently €7 (USD$7.62).
In an interview with El Pais newspaper he said, “In the case of stopover cruise passengers (less than 12 hours) there is intensive use of public space without any benefit for the city and a feeling of occupation and saturation. We want to have tourism that is respectful of the destination.”
Barcelona received more than 12 million tourists in 2023 and expects more in 2024.
The measures addressing cruise tourists are part of a larger protest against excessive tourism in Spain in many cities.
