Barcelona to Close 2 Cruise Terminals to Tackle Overtourism
Barcelona has announced plans to close two of its seven cruise terminals as part of the city's strategy to combat overtourism, Reuters reported.
Barcelona's city hall and port authority reached an agreement last Thursday to demolish two terminals and rebuild a third for public use, which would lower the number of passengers the port can handle at one time from 37,000 to 31,000 by the end of the decade.
Barcelona saw a 21% increase in cruise ship calls and a 20% increase in passengers to 1.2 million people in the first five months of this year from the same period in 2024, according to official data. Roughly 3.7 million cruise ship passengers arrived in Barcelona last year.
'For the first time in history, limits are being placed on the growth of cruise ships in the city,' said Barcelona Mayor Jaume Collboni, as quoted by Reuters.
Collboni said last year he was seeking a new deal with port authorities to limit the number of one-day cruise calls. The city's new plan will see the port prioritize cruise ships that use Barcelona as their home port for departures and arrivals. The Port of Barcelona, Europe's biggest cruise port, reported 1.6 million cruise ship passengers were in transit last year.
Barcelona's decision to shut down two cruise terminals is the city's latest move to clamp down on mass tourism. Collboni said last year the city had to impose restrictions in order not to become a 'theme park' without residents. The mayor has also announced Barcelona will enact a total ban on short-term rentals by 2029.
In addition, Barcelona's tourism board said last year it would replace its longtime slogan 'Visit Barcelona' with 'This is Barcelona,' which Skift reported was part of the city's strategy to attact travelers interested in its history and culture and shift away from promoting mass tourism.
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