The mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, announced this Friday that the City Council is negotiating with the Port of Barcelona to update the 2018 agreement to limit cruise ships arriving in the city.
At a press conference, asked about this issue, Collboni explained that they have started talks because “it does not have to be just about moving the terminals – as contemplated in the agreement – but also limiting the arrival of cruise ships to the city.” He recalled that these are measures that other ports are adapting, such as Amsterdam and Venice, and warns that they will go in the direction of limiting and reducing the number of cruise passengers, “especially those who stop in the city.”
Collboni has not ruled out eliminating “some terminals if necessary” in the future given the increase in cruise passengers, which in 2023 has reached 3.6 million, with an annual increase of 8%, according to its figures.
In the same press conference, the first deputy mayor, Laia Bonet, explained that the Port has assumed these conversations “with the same attitude” and that they have not addressed a calendar because they want to prioritize the agreement.