Barcelona is increasing its total cruise tax to €30 ($49) per person, with the changes expected to come into effect as soon as this year.
Barcelona’s local government has now agreed to increase its tax on day cruise passengers despite pushback from the tourist industry. The increase is the maximum they are legally allowed to raise the tax.
The fee includes €24 in municipal surcharge as well as €6 in regional fees. It will apply to cruise passengers spending less than 12 hours in the city on port calls.
It is around triple the current fee of €11 ($18), which is made up of €5 municipal surcharge and a €6 regional levy.
Marc Serra, of the left-wing Barcelona en Comú (BComú) party, said the increase shouldn’t be aimed solely at raising revenue, arguing it should act as a deterrent to this type of tourism and send a clear signal about the role Barcelona wants cruise arrivals to play.
He said the tax increase serves as a tool to send a message to cruise lines to “look for other destinations.”
The politicians have also discussed setting a cap of around 3.5 million cruise passengers per year, roughly 500,000 fewer than the current volume of close to 4 million. ERC has separately proposed allocating the increased revenue to subsidize 50 per cent of school cafeteria costs, though the local government’s support for that specific allocation is understood to be conditional on other administrative matters.
Whilst the plan had been to increase the tax gradually until 2029, this has now been reversed, with the increase agreed to take effect immediately.
It will still need to be formally incorporated into law, which is expected to happen at a fiscal meeting later this year.
Taxes are usually included in the customer’s total fare, meaning cruise lines will likely pass the increase on through higher overall ticket prices.
Homeport passengers will be exempt from the tax.
Gloria Guevara, President & CEO of the WTTC, has expressed concerns about the new tax, stating that it would put Barcelona at a competitive disadvantage compared to other Mediterranean destinations.
“Evidence WTTC has gathered from other destinations shows that sudden tax hikes rarely produce the intended outcomes,” she said.
“Additional costs to visitors to Barcelona would likely reduce the overall economic contribution generated by the cruise industry as tourists adjust their spending habits ashore. This, in turn, would potentially lead to job losses, impacting local employment and job creation within the city’s service sectors.”
