Barcelona presses its strategy against overtourism… and now clearly targets transit cruises. In an interview granted to the local channel betevé, Mayor Jaume Collboni stated his aim to reduce to zero the number of cruise passengers who spend only a few hours in the city before returning to sea.
The socialist mayor now distinguishes two modelss: cruises that use Barcelona as the home port—with passengers who stay in hotels, fly in, or spend more on site, something Marseille hopes to develop—and ships making a simple port of call, accused of crowding public spaces without generating enough local economic benefits.
« Transit cruises make intensive use of public space without generating revenue », he said. To discourage this traffic, the municipality plans to sharply increase the taxation applied to short-stop passengers.
The socialist mayor now distinguishes two modelss: cruises that use Barcelona as the home port—with passengers who stay in hotels, fly in, or spend more on site, something Marseille hopes to develop—and ships making a simple port of call, accused of crowding public spaces without generating enough local economic benefits.
« Transit cruises make intensive use of public space without generating revenue », he said. To discourage this traffic, the municipality plans to sharply increase the taxation applied to short-stop passengers.
1.7 million transit cruise passengers in 2025
According to details provided by betevé, Barcelona aims to raise from 2027 the tourist tax levied on transit cruise passengers to a total of 14 euros per passenger. This amount would include the Catalan regional tax and the municipal surcharge. The additional revenue would be used in particular to fund public services and infrastructure used by visitors.
This new push fits into a broader strategy pursued by Barcelona to curb overtourism. The city and the port had already announced an agreement to reduce the number of cruise terminals from seven to five. The municipality also plans to phase out tourist apartments by 2028.
The issue remains particularly sensitive in Spain, where cruises represent a major economic engine. According to figures cited recently by the municipality, Barcelona hosted nearly four million cruise passengers in 2025, including about 1.7 million transit cruise passengers.
This new push fits into a broader strategy pursued by Barcelona to curb overtourism. The city and the port had already announced an agreement to reduce the number of cruise terminals from seven to five. The municipality also plans to phase out tourist apartments by 2028.
The issue remains particularly sensitive in Spain, where cruises represent a major economic engine. According to figures cited recently by the municipality, Barcelona hosted nearly four million cruise passengers in 2025, including about 1.7 million transit cruise passengers.
