Barcelona City Council has granted initial approval to gradually raise the tourist tax on cruise passengers who stay in the city less than 12 hours without an overnight visit. The increase aims to address tourism capacity challenges and municipal fiscal needs.
Currently, cruise passengers transiting through Barcelona for under 12 hours pay a €5 fee. The new tourist tax will progressively increase to the maximum €24 allowed under Catalan law, with the hike scheduled for phased implementation through 2030. Separately, the council finalized a decision to freeze the hostel tourist surcharge at €4.
Deputy Mayor for Economy Jordi Valls framed
the hostel surcharge freeze as justified by the sector’s distinct status compared to other tourist accommodations. Valls also described the cruise passenger tax increase as the largest in the Mediterranean region, exceeding fees in ports such as Amsterdam and Santorini. He emphasized that Barcelona has reached its tourism capacity limits and that the sector must contribute more to municipal finances. He supported a staged, four-year approach to increase taxes to provide clarity on fiscal policy.
The City Council rejected a proposal to increase the differentiated property tax (IBI) targeting leisure and hospitality businesses with the highest cadastral values.
As a
result, cruise passengers spending less than 12 hours in Barcelona will face higher transit taxes incrementally rising to €24 by 2030, reflecting the city’s management of growing cruise tourism within capacity constraints.
