Barcelona to increase tourist tax for cruise ships

Barcelona city council and the Catalan government have agreed to increase the tourist tax for cruise ships docking in Barcelona for less than 12 hours.

Leaders of both cabinets, president Salvador Illa and mayor Jaume Collboni, both Socialists, met in Barcelona on Wednesday morning following an informal meeting held in late August to discuss some of the major issues facing the Catalan capital.

Currently, there is a tourist tax cap of €4, a limit that local authorities want to eliminate to prompt a "significant" increase.

The city welcomes around 1.6 million short-term cruise ship passengers, with an expected increase that "is not sustainable," Collboni said during a press conference after meeting with Illa and the newly appointed presidency minister, Albert Dalmau.

Tourists from such vessels have a "higher impact" on the streets than those from cruise ships based in Barcelona or visitors staying in the city for a few days, as the economic impact is lower, but they still fill up the city center.

"We will see an increase in the number of such vessels, but we must set limits," he added.

Meanwhile, Dalmau defended tourism as a "prosperous way forward" but acknowledged that it also presents challenges. This is why they will initiate a period of debate to address the tourist tax.

One of the measure's goals would help increase public policy spending.

In fact, during the meeting, both politicians also agreed on building more social housing. The executive will restart the construction of 637 social houses, which had already been agreed upon by the former president, Pere Aragonès.

Collboni and Aragonès had previously agreed to build up to 1,700 new flats on city council land.

Metro lines

Illa and Collboni also agreed to keep the agreement between the former government and the Socialist party to expand the city's metro lines.

These new lines are a "need" not only for Barcelona but for all the metropolitan area, the mayor said during the press conference.

The deal includes expanding the L1 red metro line to Badalona, the L3 green line to Esplugues de Llobregat and Sant Just Desvern, the L4 yellow line to the future Sagrera train station, and ending the L9 orange line construction works.

Related to mobility, Collboni believed it is "very important for Barcelona's future" to tackle the expansion of the city's airport.