Latest news with #JaumeCollboni
Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Cruise ship blow as Spain tears down three terminals amid tourism row
The Port of Barcelona currently has nine terminals, seven of which are cruise ship terminals - but the three oldest are set to be demolished amid pressure from locals Three cruise ship terminals are to be ripped down in Barcelona following mounting pressure from locals. Officials in the beloved Spanish destination have decided to scale back the port's cruise ship capacity after years of campaigners arguing that boatloads of passengers are adding unbearable strain to the city. Barcelona's port currently boasts nine terminals, with seven dedicated to cruise ships. Catalonian governing authorities have now chosen to act, with proposals to demolish the three most dated terminals (A, B, and C). A cutting-edge terminal will be constructed at Terminal C's existing site, due to launch by the decade's close. The replacement facility will accommodate approximately 7,000 passengers simultaneously. Nevertheless, the port's overall daily capacity will fall from roughly 37,000 to 31,000 under the €185m (£160m) scheme, according to EuroWeekly News. The revelation comes after this week's agreement between the port authority and the city council. Barcelona mayor Jaume Collboni declared: "For the first time in history, limits are being placed on the growth of cruise ships in the city." Officials anticipate the measure will also improve public access to the port facilities. The city is also reportedly investing €50 million in constructing fresh amenities where terminals A and B currently stand." According to EU Today, under the new strategy, cruise lines that begin and conclude their journeys in the city will receive preference over those making brief stopovers. The aim is to alleviate overcrowding in particularly affected areas of Barcelona and encourage tourists to extend their stay, thereby boosting per capita spending within the city's economy. Official figures reveal that the travel hotspot experienced a 21% increase in cruise ship visits and a 20% rise in passengers to 1.2 million people from January to May this year, compared to the same period last year. Residents have long expressed concerns about the impact of cruises on both the city and its environment. Responsible Travel recently explained why Barcelona, in particular, has suffered from cruise ship tourism. READ MORE: Husband and wife have been on holiday to same seaside town every year since 1970 "Barcelona has the Mediterranean's largest port, for example, which makes it a prime spot for huge cruise ships. In 1990, just 115,000 cruise passengers arrived in Barcelona. By 2017, that figure stood at 2.7 million, arriving into one of nine cruise terminals. The city was the home port for Allure of the Seas in 2015, at the time the world's largest cruise ship with a maximum capacity of just under 6,500 passengers. And in 2019, Barcelona (along with Palma) earned the unwanted title of most polluted port in Europe," the publication wrote. "Overtourism is not just about too many people, however. When it comes to Barcelona, the issue is that they are all arriving at once. Of the 32 million annual visitors, around half are day trippers; this will include most of the cruise passengers. Spending just a few hours in the city, visitors have a limited radius and will tick off the same few places: La Rambla, the Sagrada Familia, Parc Güell, La Boqueria market." In his 2016 paper on Managing Tourism in Barcelona, Dr Harold Goodwin described the arrival of cruise ship passengers as feeling like 'a tidal wave.' Last month, there was another tranche of anti-overtourism protests in Barcelona, with demonstrators continuing to organise marches against what they perceive as excessive numbers of foreign visitors. They argue this is having an unsustainable effect on living costs and housing. In response to these concerns, authorities have introduced various measures, including plans to prohibit short-term apartment rentals to tourists by the end of 2028.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Barcelona to shut cruise ports to bring down tourism
Barcelona will close two of its seven cruise terminals as it steps up efforts to control visitor numbers following a local backlash against tourism. Under the €185m (£160m) plan agreed between the Spanish city and port authorities, two terminals are to be demolished and a third rebuilt for public use. That will slash the number of passengers the port can handle at any one time by 6,000 to 31,000 by the end of the decade. Following the reduction in capacity, priority will be given to ships departing from Barcelona, usually staffed by locals, rather than those just visiting in order to maximise benefits for the economy. Jaume Collboni, Barcelona's Left-wing mayor, said the deal was struck after the port showed 'understanding and empathy' in accepting that the expansion of cruise activity could not carry on unchecked and had to be reduced. He said: 'For the first time in its history, a limit is being placed on the growth of cruise ships in the city. The current management of tourism involves establishing limits.' It comes after protesters took to Barcelona's streets last month as part of the biggest anti-tourism rally in its history. It was the culmination of months of anger at overcrowding and high prices in the city. Protesters last year sprayed visitors with water pistols to highlight what they saw as the swarming of the city. Cruise vessels are reviled in some tourist hotspots for flooding streets with visitors who spend little before returning to their ship. While moves to ban them have become commonplace, Barcelona is going a step further by shrinking its port infrastructure to keep them away. The number of ships visiting Europe's busiest cruise port has surged over the past six years and jumped by a fifth between January and May, bringing in 1.2m people. Under the latest plans, a 2,000ft length of quayside will be renovated, while the bridge to the cruise terminals will be doubled to provide space for cyclists and pedestrians. Hookups to the power grid will also be provided so that ships do not have to use their diesel engines in port. José Alberto Carbonell, president of the Port of Barcelona, said the agreement would permit the 'sustainable development of cruise activity'. He said that while smaller, the resulting facilities will be amongst the most modern in the world and better able to act as a base for cruise ships, boosting local employment. Barcelona, which has a population of 1.7m, or 5m across its metropolitan area, attracted 3.7m cruise-ship passengers last year. Miami, the busiest cruise port in the world, handled a record 8.2m. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Solve the daily Crossword
Telegraph
4 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Barcelona to shut cruise ports to tackle overtourism
Barcelona will close two of its seven cruise terminals as it steps up efforts to control visitor numbers following a local backlash against tourism. Under the €185m (£160m) plan agreed between the Spanish city and port authorities, two terminals are to be demolished and a third rebuilt for public use. This will slash the number of passengers the port can handle at any one time by 6,000 to 31,000 by the end of the decade. Following the reduction in capacity, priority will be given to ships departing from Barcelona, usually staffed by locals, rather than those just visiting in order to maximise benefits for the economy. Jaume Collboni, Barcelona's Left-wing mayor, said the deal was struck after the port showed 'understanding and empathy' in accepting that the expansion of cruise activity could not carry on unchecked and had to be reduced. He said: 'For the first time in its history, a limit is being placed on the growth of cruise ships in the city. The current management of tourism involves establishing limits.' It comes after protesters took to Barcelona's streets last month as part of the biggest anti-tourism rally in its history. It was the culmination of months of anger at overcrowding and high prices in the city. Protesters last year sprayed visitors with water pistols to highlight what they saw as the swarming of the city. Cruise vessels are reviled in some tourist hotspots for flooding streets with visitors who spend little before returning to their ship. While moves to ban them have become commonplace, Barcelona is going a step further by shrinking its port infrastructure to keep them away. The number of ships visiting Europe's busiest cruise port has surged over the past six years and jumped by a fifth between January and May, bringing in 1.2m people. Under the latest plans, a 2,000ft length of quayside will be renovated, while the bridge to the cruise terminals will be doubled to provide space for cyclists and pedestrians. Hookups to the power grid will also be provided so that ships do not have to use their diesel engines in port. José Alberto Carbonell, president of the Port of Barcelona, said the agreement would permit the 'sustainable development of cruise activity'. He said that while smaller, the resulting facilities will be amongst the most modern in the world and better able to act as a base for cruise ships, boosting local employment. Barcelona, which has a population of 1.7m, or 5m across its metropolitan area, attracted 3.7m cruise-ship passengers last year. Miami, the busiest cruise port in the world, handled a record 8.2m.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Europe's busiest cruise port Barcelona to scale back capacity
Barcelona will cut cruise ship terminals from seven to five to control rising tourist numbers, following a 21% surge in cruise arrivals and a 20% jump in passengers in early 2025. The city aims to reduce overcrowding and pollution by consolidating terminals, prioritizing home-port cruises, and enabling ships to connect to the local power grid to cut emissions. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Barcelona is set to reduce the number of port terminals for cruise ships in the city's latest attempt to limit the number of tourist visits, as per a Reuters third-largest port will cut the number of terminals used by cruises to five from seven, with the aim of making the arrival of the ships 'more controlled and sustainable,' Barcelona's city council said in a statement Thursday.'For the first time ever, limits are being placed on cruise growth in the city,' Barcelona Mayor Jaume Collboni said in the statement. Barcelona recorded a 21% increase in cruise ship calls and a 20% rise in passengers to 1.2 million people in January-May this year from the same period in 2024, as per official data. That was a sharp acceleration following a 20% increase in passenger numbers from 2018 to have been protests against tourism and debates about overcrowding in the Spanish left-wing mayor told Reuters last year he was seeking a new deal with port authorities to reduce the number of one-day cruise calls, in an effort to avoid overcrowding at cultural landmarks such as the Sagrada Familia the new plan, three terminals will be combined into one. The port will prioritize cruise ships that use Barcelona as their home port for departures and arrivals and encourage tourists to stay longer and spend more in the port said the refurbishment would facilitate connecting ships to the local electricity grid, reducing Union regulations require maritime ports to have onshore power supply infrastructure in place by 2030 to cut carbon emissions. However, a recent study found that most ports across Europe are falling behind in meeting this target.
Scottish Sun
5 days ago
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Spanish city introduces strict new limits on tourists and it affects thousands a day
Plus, what exploring one of the city's top destinations is like SI-YA Spanish city introduces strict new limits on tourists and it affects thousands a day Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THE popular Spanish city destination of Barcelona is due to limit the number of cruises entering the city. New plans to demolish two terminals at the Port of Barcelona have been revealed. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 Barcelona is reducing the number of cruise terminals in its port Credit: Reuters Two terminals will be completely demolished - A and B - with terminal C also being demolished to make way for a new terminal on the site. In total, the number of terminals will be reduced from seven to five. As part of the €185million (£160.95million) scheme, the new terminal will serve around 7,000 passengers "at any given time". However, the changes will mean that Barcelona's maximum cruise capacity will reduce from 37,000 passengers to 31,000 per day. The reduction in cruise terminals follows increasing local backlash against overtourism impacting the city. The cruise hub is one of the key hubs in the Mediterranean. According to Travel Weekly, Barcelona mayor Jaume Collboni said: "For the first time in history, a limit is being placed on the growth of cruises in the city." Cruise passengers increased by 20 per cent between 2018 and 2024, without any capacity limits. The Mayor added: "The current management of tourism involves setting limits and managing better." In a statement, the Port of Barcelona said: "The agreement signed today acknowledges that maritime tourism is an economic sector with a significant weight in the city, but specifies that it requires planning and management measures, just as is already happening in other tourism sectors such as accommodation, mobility, public spatial planning or taxation. The ultimate cruising experience - From Universal Studios to Florida's Everglades onboard the Icon of the Seas "This agreement consolidates the joint commitment of both the Port and the City Council to move towards a more orderly and efficient maritime tourism model that respects the urban and environmental setting of Barcelona." The plans also include a regular shuttle service for passengers. Information screens will be installed in the terminals too, providing real-time information to help better spread out visitors and reduce crowds in the busiest areas of the city. Work on getting rid of terminals A and B will start by the end of 2026 and the entire project is set to be completed in 2030. Additionally, there is a €50million (£43million) plan to overhaul the area where terminals A and B currently are - eventually offer travellers improved services. And there will be a €90million (£77.9million) expansion to the Porta d'Europa bridge which links the wharf with the city. Once complete, the bridge will have bike and walking routes. 3 Overall, the port will reduce from seven terminals to five Credit: Getty In 2024, Spanish ports received 12.8million cruise passengers - 3.7million of whom were to Barcelona port. Barcelona first started to scale back cruise operations to the city in 2018, when it moved most operations from the city centre to Adossat Wharf. By 2023, the city had closed the North Terminal - which is located at the end of the famous Las Ramblas. And in the past years, Barcelona has more widely battled against issues of overtourism with many locals taking to protesting about the number of holidaymakers in the city. Last year, the city also announced that by 2029 it would ban all short-term rentals in an attempt to ease the current housing crisis. Exploring Las Ramblas in Barcelona TRAVEL reporter Cyann Fielding shares her thoughts on one of the biggest tourist traps in the world, that happens to be in Barcelona. According to Nomad - an international eSim company, Las Ramblas is the second worst tourist trap in the world and the top in Europe - based on 826 reviews. But the spot actually holds so much history and is one of the most fascinating destinations to explore - and it has come a long way from it's origins. As you wander down the street, make sure to stop off at Casa Beethoven - essentially Harry Potter's Ollivanders but for sheet music not wands. Just down from Casa Beethoven is La Boqueria market - one of Europe's largest and most famous food markets. Heading on from the market, make sure to look out on the floor for a mosaic by artist Joan Miró, who lived in Barcelona. Carrying on, make sure to take a detour down Carrer Nou de La Rambla to see Palau Güell - which people often miss not knowing it is there. I think part of the reason why so many people walk away from Las Ramblas either overwhelmed or disappointed, is because they don't know its history or the top places to explore. And there are pickpockets, so you just need to be wary. But by taking your time and exploring the routes different sections and side streets, it makes a great day out immersing yourself in Spanish - and more specifically - Barcelonan culture. More widely, Spain has also just introduced rules that can cost Brits £5,992 at the border – it's an easy mistake that thousands could make. Plus, the little-known way to travel across Spain by train for free this summer.
