Barcelona’s mayor, Jaume Collboni, plans to increase the tourist tax for cruise passengers visiting the city for less than 12 hours. Currently, the tax is 7 euros per day, but the exact amount of the proposed increase was not disclosed. Collboni aims to address the issue of cruise passengers using public space intensively without benefiting the city. The mayor wants tourism that respects the destination and believes that tourists, rather than local taxpayers, should fund projects like air-conditioning schools.
Anti-tourism activists in Spain have raised concerns about the impact of visitors on city centers, suggesting that they drive up housing costs and displace residents. In response to these concerns, Barcelona recently announced that apartment rentals to tourists will be banned by 2028 to make the city more livable for locals. Similar protests against overtourism have been staged in other popular Spanish holiday destinations such as Palma de Mallorca, Malaga, and the Canary Islands.
Collboni’s proposal to increase the tourist tax for cruise passengers will need to be agreed upon by the Catalan regional government. The move is part of broader efforts to address the negative effects of overtourism in cities across Spain. Anti-tourism activists continue to advocate for measures that prioritize the well-being of local residents and aim to make popular destinations more sustainable in the long term.
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