Barcelona to raise tourist tax for cruise passengers

Cruise passengers visiting Barcelona are set to face a hike in tourist tax in a move aimed at clamping down on “mass tourism” in the city.

Mayor Jaume Collboni said he would raise the fee paid by cruise passengers who visit the Catalan capital for less than 12 hours – which is currently set at €7 (£6) a day.

It comes after Mr Collboni, a member of the Catalan Socialist Party, announced controversial measures banning tourists from renting over 10,000 holiday lets listed in the city from 2028.

“Barcelona is a city that’s open to visitors and tourism is an important sector of its economy,” Mr Colboni told Spanish newspaper El Pais.

“That said, I’m determined to tackle the consequences that mass tourism is having for the city. That means going all the way with the ban on tourist flats in 2028. But we’re also going to substantially raise the tax for people on cruise stopovers.”

The mayor did not say by how much he was planning to raise the tax, saying only that studies had already been commissioned.

He added that the idea of the rise was not to deter cruise visitors but to ensure they paid their way and generated revenue that could be invested in projects such as installing air conditioning in schools.

Last month, Mr Collboni claimed home rental prices in the top holiday destination had soared by 68 per cent over the past decade with the cost of property ownership increasing by 38 per cent due to tourism.

In a move aimed at combatting the soaring figures, he announced holiday lets, advertised on platforms like Airbnb and Homeaway, would be made available to residents instead.

Mr Collboni’s opposition accused him of undermining property rights and claimed the move resembled the far-left regime of Venezuela.

The Association of Tourist Apartments of Barcelona said the change would lead to flats being illegally rented to tourists and claimed the policy was a “smokescreen” for the mayor’s failure on housing policy.

Barcelona’s government said it would maintain its “strong” inspection regime to detect potential illegal tourist apartments once the ban comes into effect.

Since 2016, it has ordered the closure of 9,700 illegal tourist apartments and almost 3,500 apartments have been recovered to be used as primary housing for local residents.

In recent months, thousands have protested in parts of Spain, including the Canary Islands, against the effects of mass tourism, which they claim is damaging the environment and driving locals out.

In June, thousands took to the streets of the Balearic Islands to protest against mass tourism and overcrowding dubbed “massification”.