In a bid to ideally turn away as many short-term tourists as possible, Barcelona is moving to make brief cruise stops pricier.
As Fox Local detailed, the planned increase targets passengers in the city for under 12 hours and fits into a wider campaign to reduce overtourism, a long-running source of local anger.
What's happening?
After a July 15 committee meeting, Barcelona officials supported pursuing the highest municipal charge of €24 (~$27.28) for cruise visitors who stay less than 12 hours, compared with an earlier proposal at a third of the cost. With other fees included, the total bill could climb to about €30, or roughly $35, the outlet noted.
The proposed tax hike reflects the city's larger decision to cap, rather than expand, tourism. José Antonio Donaire, Barcelona's commissioner for sustainable tourism, told the New York Times that attracting additional visitors is no longer the aim.
"We don't want to grow more," Donaire shared with the paper. "We want the tourists that the city already has. There were 15.7 million tourists in the city in 2025 — that's the threshold."
The broader tourism numbers remain substantial. The AP said Catalonia, the region that includes Barcelona, received about 20.1 million tourists in 2025, a 0.6% increase from the previous year.
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Previous Fox News Digital reporting also noted that on April 1, Barcelona nearly doubled its hotel guest tax, lifting the nightly charge to roughly $10-$17 per person. Donaire summarized that approach bluntly to the Times.
"Many of the measures will take time before they have an impact," he said to the paper. "But the message of the city now is, 'Not one tourist more.'"
Why does it matter?
For many residents, the debate is about daily life more than travel prices. Their complaints have focused on higher rents, jammed public transportation, and neighborhoods that feel increasingly tailored to visitors.
Reuters has reported that the shift of more apartments into short-term rentals has pushed housing costs upward. It also said crowded public areas and historic sections of the city have become less usable for locals.
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That anger has surfaced publicly. Previous Fox News Digital reporting said large resident demonstrations took place in Barcelona last summer, with some people using water guns on tourists.
Among the messages on protest signs were reportedly "One more tourist, one less resident," and "Tourist go home."
What's being done?
The current crackdown builds on policies Barcelona started years ago.
"Barcelona began rethinking tourism with innovative measures like the moratorium on new hotel construction back in 2017," Donaire explained to the Times.
Barcelona Mayor Jaume Collboni had already suggested raising the overnight cruise-passenger tax from €4 to €8 (~$9.30) after discussing it on TV, per El País. The latest committee action would go even further for short-stay cruise arrivals.
Officials say the intent is not to eliminate tourism, but to shift it toward visitors who stay longer and create less strain. In practice, that means preferring business and cultural travel over waves of day-trippers.
"It's important to us that any resident can buy a loaf of bread, a book or a screw in their neighborhood," Donaire told the Times. "We also believe that tourists will be more interested in a city where urban space isn't entirely souvenirs, phone cases and kebabs."
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