Politicians in Barcelona have shown their support for raising the tourist tax for cruise passengers, possibly raising the rate up to £26 a day.
The suggestion has been agreed upon by parties in Barcelona City Council but no official amendment has been passed.
To raise the tourist tax, this would first need to be approved by the Parliament of Catalonia and then by the city council.
If approved, the rate could rise to €30 (£26) a day. The current tourist tax costs cruise passengers from €6 (£5.20) up to €11 (£9.50) a day.
The proposition would also only apply to cruises that make port calls and spend less than 12 hours in the port.
Any cruises that begin or end in Barcelona would not have to pay the tax, as it is understood that these sailings have a positive economic impact on the city.
Marc Serra, from the left-wing BComú party, welcomed the agreement between parties, but argued that the increase should not be carried out for just revenue-generating purposes, local news outlet APD reports.
He said that the measure should act as a deterrent and paint a clear picture of the role Barcelona wants in cruise tourism.
Other parties wants the city to control how many cruise arrivals there are in a year, but the council sees that as more complex than raising taxes.
The Port of Barcelona released a study stating that on average per day, 2.5 per cent of tourists in Barcelona are passengers on cruise ships, rising to 7.5 per cent during peak season.
The study also found that cruise passengers on average see the city of Barcelona for only 5.7 hours.
Support for hiking the cruise passenger tax comes months after Barcelona increased its tourist taxes to €10-€15 (£8.60-£13) per person per night, depending on accommodation type.
Tourists visiting Barcelona must pay both a regional tourist tax and the city tax, which were both hiked on 1 April 2026, making it among the most expensive visitor taxes in Europe.
In July 2025, plans were also unveiled by the city council and the port to reduce the number of passenger cruise terminals from seven to five.
The changes will reduce Barcelona’s maximum cruise capacity from 37,000 passengers to 31,000 per day.
Work will begin at the end of this year and the new terminal will be complete by 2030.
Read more: Holiday hotspot to charge visitors up to £13 a night in tax hike
