Barcelona City Council has granted initial approval to raise the tourist tax applied to cruise passengers who do not stay overnight in the city.
The tax for cruise visitors spending fewer than 12 hours in Barcelona will increase from the current €5 to a maximum of €24, as set by recent Catalan legislation. This increase will be implemented progressively through 2030.
The city council also decided to maintain the existing €4 surcharge for hostels without any increase. A proposal to raise the differentiated property tax (IBI) targeting leisure and hospitality businesses with the highest cadastral values was rejected during the
plenary session.
Tax Implementation and City Context
Deputy Mayor for Economy Jordi Valls emphasized that the tax hike will be introduced gradually over four years to provide transparency on fiscal policies. He highlighted that this measure represents the largest tax increase applied to cruise ships in the Mediterranean, exceeding rates in ports such as Amsterdam and Santorini.
Valls underlined that Barcelona has reached its tourism capacity limits and stressed the need for the tourism sector to contribute more significantly to municipal finances.
Impact on Cruise Passengers
Under the new tax structure, cruise passengers who transit through Barcelona without an overnight stay will face progressively higher fees, rising to €24
by 2030. This targets visitors who contribute to city congestion while not utilizing accommodation facilities.
