Barcelona’s metropolis council introduced plans to restrict the variety of cruise ship passengers and scale back port terminals to deal with town’s overcrowding points.
Barcelona Mayor Jaume Collboni made the announcement throughout a press convention on Could 24, 2024. The transfer is available in response to Barcelona’s important rise in cruise tourism, which reached 3.6 million passengers in 2023.
Simply final October, Barcelona banned cruise ships from docking on the World Commerce Middle space and Muelle Barcelona Norte, notably favored by cruise strains due to their proximity to La Rambla, one of many metropolis’s hottest points of interest.
The regulation, which started on October 22 following a 2018 settlement between the port authorities and Barcelona metropolis council, required ships to dock farther from central vacationer areas to enhance air high quality and scale back congestion. It closed earlier, the Maremagum port, which is closest to Barcelona’s Outdated City.
Though lower than a 12 months in impact, the modifications have little impression on slowing congestion. In actual fact, in June 2024 alone, the Port of Barcelona is scheduled to obtain 82 ships, together with the 5,400-passenger Oasis of the Sea from Royal Caribbean Worldwide on June 2, 23, and 30, and MSC Cruises’ 6,334-passenger MSC Grandiosa on June 4, 11, 18, and 25.
In the course of the occasion, Collboni emphasised the necessity to management the inflow of one-day guests from mega-ships like these who contribute to town’s rising congestion, saying, “The rise within the variety of cruise passengers is round 8% yearly. I need to say, we’re reaching a restrict, and we have to put a cap on the determine.”
Of 2023 guests, 1.6 million have been one-day vacationers who spent just a few hours within the metropolis.
Though tourism represents 14.5% of Barcelona’s gross home product, the pinnacle of tourism for Barcelona metropolis council, Jordi Valls, warned that exceeding town’s capability may diminish the worth guests deliver.
Laia Bonet, the deputy mayor, additionally mentioned throughout the press convention that whereas there is no such thing as a particular date for signing the brand new settlement, the step is essential to managing the vacationer stream.
Trying to Curb Overtourism
Final 12 months, 803 cruise ships referred to as in Barcelona, bringing 3.5 million passengers. It was a 13.7% improve over 2019’s pre-pandemic information.
Barcelona’s new plan to restrict cruise ship passengers consists of negotiating with town’s port authorities to scale back the variety of terminals. Presently, 5 terminals are in operation, with one underneath development and a seventh deliberate.
Learn Additionally: Majorca Advances Plans to Additional Restrict Cruise Ship Entries
The Tarragona Cruise port, which can cater to mega ships, started development in June 2023, whereas the Terminal G on the Adossat wharf terminal, anticipated to be the ultimate terminal, shall be operational by spring 2027.
Didac Navarro of the Cease Cruises marketing campaign group, advised iNews, “The roads and pavements within the middle of town and close to the Sagrada Familia are already saturated with cruise vacationers.”
Navarro helps town’s transfer, fearing that with out motion, the variety of cruise vacationers may quickly attain 5 million yearly.
A number of European cities have taken steps much like Barcelona’s partial ban and proposed passenger cap. Venice, for example, applied a ban on giant cruise ships coming into its historic middle in 2021. In April of this 12 months, it started imposing a vacationer tax requiring all-day guests to register and pay a €5.00 price.
Amsterdam additionally launched measures to restrict cruise ship visitors. Town redirected giant cruise ships to dock at a extra distant terminal somewhat than on the metropolis middle’s Passenger Terminal Amsterdam.
Equally, Palma de Mallorca restricted the variety of cruise ships allowed to dock every day in 2022, capping it at three, with just one ship carrying over 5,000 passengers. Earlier this month, it was introduced it plans to increase its ban.
