POPULAR HOTSPOT IN SPAIN IS RESTING ON DAY-TRAVELING HISTORY HOUSEHOLDERS. They are called a “plague OF locusts” by a Spanish police force.
Tourists love Barcelona, particularly those who are on cruises and visit the city for a day.
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Barcelona was visited by more than 2million tourists on cruise ships in 2019, an all-time high.
Janet Sanz (Barcelona deputy mayor) criticized the cruisers saying that they aren’t spending any money and do not contribute to the city.
She said: “You will be walking and all of a sudden there’s this mass of people who appear together in the street
“They don’t consume anything and they don’t have an economic impact
They just go for four to five hours, then they leave.
Gala Pin was a city counselor and previously called cruise passengers a “plagueof locusts”. [kind of] tourism”.
A new rule will allow cruise ships to carry fewer than three passengers per day. That’s a decrease of 400,000 passengers per month.
The city port denied the claims and stated that around 58% of the cruise ships weren’t day-trippers as they would be starting or ending in the city.
Not only that, but a 2018 study found that cruise tourists who stay overnight spend around €230 on average in Barcelona.
But Sanz warned: “It’s the responsibility of everyone, especially those in the tourism sector, to ensure Barcelona doesn’t become a theme park.”
A new cruise levy could also be enforced on cruise passengers, who already pay around £4 a day to visit.
Yet to be confirmed how much it will be, tourists are already charged €3 (£2.58) if they stay at the Spanish port for more than 12 hours, and €1 (86p) for a stay of less than 12 hours.
These costs are also on top of an existing €1.75 (£1.50) surcharge.
Barcelona isn’t the only city that has reacted to cruise ship tourists.
Majorca, one of the Balearic Islands, will be limiting the number of cruise ships arriving on the island.
For the next two years, only three cruise ships will be allowed to dock at Palma’s port every day.
Lanzarote, in the Canary Islands, also plans to limit tourists in a move that will see the island welcome fewer tourists who have greater spending power.
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