New ban in the tourist city. It will hit travelers

Barcelona has had enough of the wave of tourists which is practically flooding the historical city center, and this is associated with increased air pollution. As a result, the Spanish authorities are introducing changes that most likely will not please travelers.

We wrote back in March about Barcelona's desire to reduce the number of incoming cruise ships. At that time, the city's mayor, Janet Sanz, spoke out. - If cruise ship passengers do not treat Barcelona as a home port, they are not active consumers of our city - she commented in conversation with Spanish media. The changes spoken about a few months ago will soon come into effect.

Barcelona is implementing a ban on cruise ships entering its central port. The changes will start taking effect on October 22nd. The northern city docks "Muelle Barcelona Norte" and the World Trade Center area are included in this. From now on, cruise ships will have to dock at the southern port along the Moll Adosat pier. From there, tourists will have to get to the historic center of Barcelona either on foot or by bus.

The authorities justify their decision primarily by attempting to limit greenhouse gas emissions in the city.

In recent years, the port of Barcelona has ranked first in Europe among those with the most polluted air.

The authorities of Barcelona have taken yet another step and decided on an additional limitation. Also, from October 22nd, the number of cruise ships that can dock in city ports has been reduced from ten to seven.

In 2019, as many as 2.25 million tourists arrived at the port in Barcelona on cruise ships. Meanwhile, after the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2022, it was just over two million people, of which the most numerous groups were the French, Americans, and Brits. According to the Cruise Lines International Association, an association representing cruise companies, this number could be even higher this year.