Barcelona’s mayor plans to increase the tax on cruise passengers who visit the city for less than 12 hours. This effort, spearheaded by Mayor Jaume Collboni of the Catalan Socialist Party, aims to reduce the impact of mass tourism.

In an interview with El País on Sunday, July 22, Mayor Collboni said he intends to raise the tax currently paid by cruise passengers, which is €7 per day. This measure is intended to ensure the city benefits from short visits without exacerbating accommodation issues.

According to The Guardian, Collboni has introduced several measures to curb over-tourism and improve the city’s housing situation since taking office last year. Four weeks ago, he announced that Barcelona would stop renting apartments to tourists by 2028, revoking the licenses of the 10,101 apartments currently approved for short-term rentals.

“Barcelona is a city open to visitors, and tourism is an important sector of its economy,” Collboni told El País. “However, I am determined to address the consequences of mass tourism. This means banning tourist apartments by 2028 and significantly raising the tax on cruise visitors,” he said, emphasizing the priority of housing rights for locals.

Last year, Spain, with a population of 47 million, received 85.1 million tourists—a record number, up 19% from 2022. Hypertourism has become a significant issue, prompting mass protests in popular cities.

Earlier this month, thousands of protesters took to the streets of Barcelona, carrying placards and water pistols, expressing their frustration with over-tourism. Chanting “Enough! Let’s put limits on tourism,” around 2,800 people demonstrated along a beach district, calling for restrictions on the annual influx of tourists.