Industry reacts to Barcelona cruise tax hike plans
Barcelona’s plan to increase the tourist tax imposed on cruise passengers visiting the city for less than 12 hours has divided the cruise industry, with CLIA admitting it was concerned by the news
On Sunday (21 July), the mayor of Barcelona told Spanish newspaper El Páis the plans come as part of an effort to curb mass tourism to the Catalan capital.
Jaume Collboni, a member of the Catalan Socialist party, told the publication he would look to “substantially” increase the £6-a-day tax that is currently paid by cruise passengers visiting Barcelona to ensure the city profits from the increased transient tourism that comes from large ocean cruise ships.
In response, a CLIA spokesperson said the trade body has “noted with concern” the mayor’s comments, given tax on cruise visitors has reportedly more than tripled in the last few years.
“Cruise is uniquely able to work collaboratively with ports and destinations to put in place measures and solutions to improve the flow of tourists and ease pressures in popular areas and we have examples of this in other destinations in Europe,” they added.
Quoting research from Barcelona University, CLIA estimated that cruise visitors account for more than 13 per cent of the tourism tax revenues collected by Barcelona’s City Hall, while only 4 per cent of visitors to the city arrive by cruise.
“We believe that residents would be better served by a holistic approach to tourism management and related taxes that considers all forms of tourism,” they added.
However, Jacqueline Dobson, president of Barrhead Travel, told Cruise Trade News she “wasn’t surprised” by the mayor’s comments.
“We’re seeing a lot of high-volume tourist destinations introduce or raise tourist and cruise taxes, so it’s not surprising to hear that Barcelona intends to increase theirs,” she explained.
“We have to respect that destinations need to legislate to both protect their local citizens as well as future-proof their tourism infrastructure. Hopefully, the city will work productively with tourism stakeholders to help ensure the changes are understood and also to update on how the tax might help improve tourism services.”
Barcelona cruise tax hike ‘won’t impact consumer demand’
Dobson didn’t believe the changes will impact consumer demand for cruise breaks to Barcelona, saying how the city is “one of the most popular destinations for cruise and land stays.” She added: “I think most people recognise now that tax like this can contribute to positive change in resort”.
However, she urged agents to stay informed about these changes so they can communicate with customers to explain what the tax means for them.
Gemma Outram, cruise business development manager for Not Just Travel, echoed Dobson, saying “it was only natural” port authorities will look to strike a balance between the volume of tourists entering and the effect it has on local life and infrastructure.
“The cruise industry and cruise lines work tirelessly alongside governments and port authorities to understand and reduce environmental impacts along with the effects of tourism on local residents,” she continued.
“It is only right that tourists are able to enjoy these wonderful destinations without damaging life for those who live there. Other destinations have looked into and rolled out resort taxes and this is becoming a standard across travel for many parts of the world.”
Barcelona is the latest major tourism hub to challenge the cruise sector, with Amsterdam announcing earlier this month that it will relocate its cruise terminal away from the city centre by 2035 in a bid to combat “nuisance” and over-tourism.
