Barcelona Mayor Pushes 100% Cruise Tax Hike to $9.30 to Deter Short-Stay Visitors
Updated
Updated · Fox News · May 17
Barcelona Mayor Pushes 100% Cruise Tax Hike to $9.30 to Deter Short-Stay Visitors
1 articles · Updated · Fox News · May 17
$9.30 a night is the rate Mayor Jaume Collboni wants imposed on cruise passengers docking in Barcelona, doubling the current 4-euro charge within months instead of over four years.
Collboni said the faster increase is meant to discourage stopover cruise traffic and eventually cut passengers who only briefly visit the city to zero, while favoring higher-spending business tourism.
The push builds on Barcelona's wider anti-overtourism campaign: the city agreed in 2024 to reduce cruise terminals from seven to five and nearly doubled its broader visitor tax in March.
Hotel guests now pay roughly $10 to $17 per night in city taxes, holiday rentals about $14, and Collboni has also pledged to eliminate tourist apartments in 2028.
Will an €8 tax truly deter cruise ships, or is it just a gesture to appease angry residents?
Can Barcelona's war on tourists create a better city, or will it simply cripple its own economy?