Politicians in Barcelona are in favor of elevating tourism taxes on cruise ship passengers in a bid to curb overtourism.
The proposal has been agreed by all events in Barcelona’s metropolis council, however the adjustments should be accredited by the Catalan parliament earlier than they’ll grow to be legislation.
If accredited, the value would nearly triple to 30 euros per day. At present, cruise passengers pay €11 in the event that they keep within the metropolis for lower than 12 hours, consisting of €5 native tax and €6 regional tax.
Greater passenger fares will discourage short-term cruise tourism
The value enhance applies solely to cruises that decision in port and keep in port for lower than 12 hours, however critics consider these cruises present little profit to the native economic system in comparison with the disruption they trigger.
Itineraries that begin or finish in Barcelona are thought-about to carry extra financial advantages to Barcelona, reminiscent of by resort stays and transport companies, so you do not have to pay an extra charge.
The aim of the tax enhance continues to be debated. Marc Serra, from the leftist get together BComú, harassed that rising charges mustn’t simply be a measure to extend income.
He argued that Barcelona ought to act as a deterrent to such a tourism and ship a transparent message in regards to the function it needs cruise arrivals to play, in accordance with native information outlet APD.
Different events have referred to as for stricter limits on the variety of cruise passengers arriving within the metropolis annually, however the metropolis council says it is a extra advanced measure.
Cruise passengers account for 7.5% of town’s each day customer numbers throughout peak seasons and usually spend a mean of 5.7 hours within the metropolis.
“Sudden tax will increase hardly ever produce the meant outcomes.”
The World Journey and Tourism Council (WTTC) expressed concern in regards to the proposal, warning that the measures might make cities much less aggressive and have unintended penalties for native economies.
“Whereas we perceive the advanced challenges of managing a world-class vacation spot, this proposal (…) might place Barcelona at a aggressive drawback in comparison with different Mediterranean ports,” WTTC President and CEO Gloria Guevara mentioned in a press release.
“Proof collected by WTTC from different locations reveals that sudden tax will increase are unlikely to provide the meant outcomes. The extra prices to guests to Barcelona are more likely to scale back the general financial contribution generated by the cruise trade as vacationers regulate their spending habits on land.”
He added that Barcelona is likely one of the world’s main cruise homeports, welcoming round 4 million passengers annually, and that the typical native spend per homeport passenger is round 255 euros, among the many highest on this planet.
“The broader influence of such measures could possibly be significantly necessary, not solely when it comes to vacationer demand, but additionally when it comes to monetary contributions that help native and regional economies. In 2024, the cruise trade alone contributed €11.9 million in taxes to Barcelona Metropolis Council,” she mentioned.
