Cruises: Jane McDonald outlines steps to check in

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Tourists visiting Barcelona already have to pay a tourist tax in the city. Cruise passengers have to pay three euros (£2.57) to stay more than 12 hours and one euro (86p) for a shorter stay.

They also have to pay the 1.75 euros (£1.50) daily surcharge to visit the city which is usually included in the price of their cruise holiday.

However cruise passengers are set to be charged even more as Barcelona officials propose three more taxes.

The Catalonia minister for climate action, Teresa Jordà, said a new tax would be approved in the “coming weeks”.

She said: “We expect to be able to present, in the coming weeks, the Government’s proposal to regulate emissions in the port areas of Catalonia, and we will be delighted to be able to share with Barcelona town hall the work carried out and formula for this tax.”

The potential cost of the tourist tax has yet to be announced and it is not known whether it would apply per ship or per passenger.

The tax is aiming to tackle the pollution caused by cruise ships and limit the number of liners in the city.

Palma on the island of Mallorca has already put limits on cruise ships in place and only three can now enter the city at once.

Some protestors have said three is still too many and called for the number of ships to be limited to one.

Cruise ships can cause high amounts of marine pollution and can emit more CO2 (carbon dioxide) per passenger than a plane.

Cruise ships are also unpopular in some cities as locals think the passengers cause overcrowding.

Barcelona often receives around 2.5million cruise passengers a year and is a popular stop on Mediterranean itineraries.

In 2019, the city’s mayor vowed to cut down on the number of ships in the city in an effort to combat pollution.

Local business owners in port cities sometimes complain that cruise passengers don’t spend money in the destination.

Cruise guests often have their meals included onboard so are less likely to eat at local restaurants.

Some ships have packed activity schedules which mean guests don’t have much time to spend on land.

Tourist taxes are fairly common in Europe and are in place in other areas of Spain as well as Barcelona.

Tourists in Wales could have to pay a tourist tax as the Government considers introducing one to pay for local services.

Venice recently postponed the introduction of a day tripper tourist tax which would have charged visitors to enter the city.

Benidorm has said it will never implement a tourist tax although the regional Government is planning to introduce one.

The Valencian Government tourist tax would be optional and local areas would be able to decide whether to use it.

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