Barcelona left-wing parties agree to triple cruise-ship surcharge cap, paving way for €30 stop‑over tax

The agreement

Barcelona en Comú (BComú) councilor Carol Recio announced on Monday that her party and Esquerra Republicana (ERC) had reached an accord with the municipal government led by the PSC to more than triple the ceiling on the city’s surcharge for cruise passengers who stop for less than 12 hours. The current legal cap on the municipal supplement is €8 per person per day; the proposed amendment would lift it to €24. Because the Catalan government already levies a 6‑euro tourist‑stay tax (IEET), the combined maximum for a short‑stay cruise visitor would climb from the current €11 to €30.

The move translates a stated goal of mayor Jaume Collboni, who said in mid‑May he wanted to drive stop‑over cruise tourism “to zero,” arguing that day‑trippers contribute little to the local economy while adding to overcrowding. The city had previously planned to raise the charge gradually to €8 over four years; Collboni later indicated he wanted to accelerate the increase and even triple the tax if feasible.

The mayor tells us the city is overcrowded, and we agree, but he then makes a deal with Junts on the Ciutat Vella land‑use plan that reinforces shops aimed at tourists.

Political friction and next steps

Recio’s criticism underscored the political complexity of the deal. While she backed the tax increase, she accused Collboni of failing to match his rhetoric with action, pointing to a separate agreement with Junts that she said favours tourist‑oriented businesses in the historic centre. ERC’s deputy spokesperson Jordi Castellana added that his party would also propose an annual cap of 3.5 million cruise passengers.

The first concrete steps are already on the parliamentary calendar. On Tuesday BComú will submit an amendment to the Catalan government’s 2026 budget‑accompanying law, which would authorise the higher municipal ceiling. On Wednesday the city’s Economy and Finance commission will debate two separate motions (one from BComú, one from ERC) urging the regional parliament to approve the change. If the amendment passes the Parliament, the final rate will be decided within the city’s own tax‑ordinance negotiations later this year.

Financial and tourism impact

Stop‑over cruisers account for 45 % of all cruise visitors to Barcelona, according to Castellana. He estimated that raising the municipal surcharge to €24 could bring in an extra €20 million a year. ERC wants those funds to cover 50 % of school‑lunch costs for every pupil in the Catalan capital. The port authority and cruise industry have pushed back, noting that cruise passengers represent only 2.5 % of the city’s daily tourists and arguing that eliminating stop‑overs would not solve the broader saturation of iconic sites.

We think the city suffers many impacts from tourism, and we also believe that the benefits of this activity must flow back into the daily life of Barcelonans.