Barcelona port to start reducing cruise ship passengers from 2027

The port of Barcelona will reduce the number of cruise ship passengers in 2027, as its president, José Alberto Carbonell, announced on Monday morning.

He believes that the city council's plan to reduce the number of vessel terminals from seven to five will not have an "immediate" impact.

"At the end of next year, we will start demolishing the first maritime station in a process that will finish in 2030, with an investment of around €200 million," he said in an interview with public broadcaster TV3.

Carbonell also doubts that ending the cruise ship industry would lead to a significant decrease in the number of tourists in Barcelona.

"Cruise ship passengers are only 5% of the overall number of tourists," he said.

A forecast of 2025 figures indicate that the port could reach a four million passengers this year, following a 7% increase in September compared to 2024.

"Everything is thanks to the number of passengers in April and May, and also from the connectivity between Barcelona airport and the United States," Carbonell said, as the "Catalan capital is connected with eight or nine daily flights with several North American cities thanks to cruises."

"This is one of the positive sides," he said, noting that the Catalan capital is the first stop for many cruises to the Adriatic, Western Mediterranean, and Baltic Seas.

Last week, a study by the University of Barcelona said that there were 2.8 million cruise ship passengers in 2024.

The study estimates that the direct and indirect economic activity linked to cruise tourism contributed around €707 million to Catalonia’s GDP and generated more than 9,500 jobs.