To combat overtourism and manage the growing number of visitors, the Port of Barcelona, which handles more cruise passengers than any other in Europe, intends to decrease its passenger terminal capacity by 2030. According to the plans, two of the terminals will close, prioritizing cruise ships that begin and end their journeys in Barcelona to encourage a longer stay and higher spending from these visitors within the city.
Expected to take effect next year, the closure is part of an agreement with Barcelona’s city council, which was announced in a statement on 18 July 2025. It will allocate funds to analyse how cruise ship passengers navigate the city. According to the council, this study marks the initial phase in creating a sustainable mobility plan for Barcelona. Additionally, the agreement is also expected to modernize the port infrastructure, aiming to push for more sustainable cruise operations. The port reported that the renovation would enable connecting ships to the local electricity grid, reducing emissions.
The council’s statement indicates that the plan will involve €185 million in combined public and private investment. This decision is part of larger efforts to handle the imminent pressure of overtourism in Spain.
📢We sign a protocol with @bcn_ajuntament to reorganize and make cruise activity more sustainable.
— Port of Barcelona (@PortofBarcelona) July 17, 2025
✅The terminals at the Adossat wharf will be reduced from 7 to 5, with facilities that optimize space and meet the most demanding environmental standards.https://t.co/SrV7X4bc2d
In 2024, the port welcomed 1.6 million cruise passengers “in transit.” According to the Barcelona Tourism Consortium press office, most of the travellers disembark from their ships in the morning. They then spend the day exploring the city before returning to their vessels in the late afternoon to depart for their next destination. However, tourists have sparked significant local backlash.
In June 2025, protests erupted in Barcelona with demonstrators chanting, “Your holidays, my misery.” Barcelona, a city of 1.6 million residents, drew 26 million tourists last year, exacerbating local tensions. These protests, alongside earlier demonstrations in summer 2024, pressured local authorities to act.
Barcelona mayor Jaume Collboni announced plans to fully ban short-term accommodation from November 2028, aiming to solve the housing crisis that has made renting a property unaffordable for residents and workers.
Besides this, there have also been measures restricting group tours to certain parts of the city, allowing limited access to 24 streets and squares to tourists. A popular bus route has been removed from Google Maps to help elderly citizens find available seating spaces. As a result of the 2024 mass tourism protests, Barcelona also dropped its “Visit Barcelona” slogan to “This is Barcelona” in an attempt to target better quality visitors.
