Barcelona to raise tourist tax for short-stay cruise passengers

Barcelona will increase the tourist tax for cruise passengers visiting the city for less than 12 hours, Mayor Jaume Collboni announced in an interview with El Pais newspaper on Sunday.

Currently, the tax for stopover cruise passengers is €7 ($7.61) per day, though the exact amount of the increase has not been specified.

Collboni emphasised that short-stay cruise passengers heavily use public spaces without benefiting the city and contribute to a sense of overcrowding. He stated that tourists, rather than local taxpayers, should fund local projects, such as air conditioning for schools.

The proposal requires approval from the Catalan regional government.

Last month, Collboni announced a plan to ban apartment rentals to tourists by 2028, aiming to address soaring housing costs and improve livability for residents.

Attribution: Reuters.