Barcelona mayor seeks faster cruise passenger tax hike

Barcelona mayor Jaume Collboni said Wednesday he wants to raise the tax on cruise passengers to $9.30 per night, double the current rate, and put the increase into effect in the coming months.

The tax applies to passengers who dock in the city. Collboni told local television that he hopes to cut the number of short-stay cruise visitors to zero.

Barcelona's city council agreed last July to raise the tax gradually to $9.30 over four years. Collboni now wants the higher rate to start sooner.

"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," he said.

"I want to discourage the arrival of cruise passengers," Collboni added.

He said tourism should serve the city, not the other way around. The mayor favors business visitors and plans to remove tourist apartments by 2028.

Collboni also said he intends to run for re-election in May 2027 and hopes to govern with a left-wing majority.

The city has already taken other steps to limit overtourism. Last year the council voted to cut the number of cruise terminals from seven to five. In March it nearly doubled the visitor tax on hotel guests and holiday rentals.