Barcelona is intensifying its efforts in the ongoing battle against overtourism, and this time it’s taking aim at short-stay cruise passengers.
The city’s mayor, Jaume Collboni, is pushing to quickly double Barcelona’s tourist tax on cruise travelers who make short stops in the popular Spanish destination. His proposal would immediately increase the tax for passengers docking overnight by 100%, taking it from €4 (US$4.65) to €8 (US$9.30) per night.
While Barcelona’s City Council had approved plans in July 2025 for gradually raising the tax over the next four years, the mayor now wants to fast-track that increase.
"In the coming months, we will raise the tourist tax … so that it comes into force in the next few months and not in four years as we had agreed," Collboni said, according to Fox News.
"I want to discourage the arrival of cruise passengers," he added, saying that he eventually wants to eliminate the presence of stopover cruise passengers (as opposed to those that begin or end their cruises in Barcelona) altogether.
Barcelona is currently one of the most prominent examples of overtourism among European destinations, and locals have become increasingly vocal in recent years about opposing its negative impacts, from basic overcrowding to rising housing costs.
"Tourism must serve the city, not the other way around," Collboni said.
“What we do not want is mass tourism – and that is why we will eliminate tourist apartments in 2028,” he explained.
"We want quality tourism,” he added, also noting, “We are interested in business visitors.”
The city has already rolled out several measures aimed at reducing the pressures of overtourism.
In 2024, Barcelona’s city council members approved plans to scale back the city’s cruise infrastructure by cutting the number of terminals from seven to five, with the goal of limiting passenger volumes.
In April 2026, the city also increased its general tourist tax, making it now one of the most expensive in Europe. Hotel guests are now paying between roughly US$10 and US$17 per night in taxes, while vacation rental visitors pay around US$14 per night.
Source: TravelPulse