Barcelona to Cut Cruise Arrivals Under New Port Plan

Barcelona is preparing to scale back the number of cruise passengers arriving at the city starting in 2027, according to a report from Catalan News.

This reduction is part of an existing strategy to reorganize cruise activity at the port by decreasing overall guest capacity and consolidating terminals.

The port’s President, José Alberto Carbonell, told public broadcaster TV3 that the changes will not create immediate disruptions for cruise operations.

“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 euros,” he said.

The long term plan calls for reducing the number of cruise terminals from seven to five, with three facilities scheduled for demolition.

A new, more advanced terminal will also be constructed. This building will partially replace the capacity lost through the closures and is expected to modernize the port’s cruise infrastructure.

Carbonell explained to TV3 that the changes should not significantly affect tourism overall.

“Cruise ship passengers are only five percent of the overall number of tourists,” he noted, highlighting the city’s strong air connections with destinations in North America.

Catalan News reported that over four million cruise passengers are expected to pass through Barcelona this year. The port serves a wide range of itineraries, including sailings to the Western Mediterranean and the Adriatic.

A recent University of Barcelona study found that 2.8 million cruise guests visited the city in 2024, contributing more than 705 million euros to the local economy and supporting nearly 10,000 jobs.

Carbonell has also emphasized that the new terminal will be critical for the port’s future cruise operations as Barcelona continues to prioritize homeporting. The modern facility is designed to handle up to 7,000 passengers per day, with a strong focus on turnaround calls, and is slated to partially open in 2028.