Overview
- Barcelona’s mayor has proposed phasing out short‑stop cruise calls, cutting terminals and raising the city tourist tax as part of a broader plan to reduce transient ship visits to the port.
- On the Amalfi Coast Praiano hotelier and local politician Salvatore Gagliano publicly called for a rule to ban cruise passengers from disembarking, citing repeated days of street gridlock and pressure on local services.
- Official figures cited in reporting show the scale of the problem, with the Italian Coast Guard recording more than 28,000 cruise passengers ashore on nearby Ischia within a 48‑hour period.
- The cruise industry, represented by CLIA, countered that the sector supports about €7.3 billion in Italy’s GDP and more than 100,000 jobs, while University of Barcelona research says transit passengers spend roughly €53–57 versus €200–230 for embarkation or disembarkation passengers.
- Port authorities warn cruise‑only measures will not solve overtourism because cruise passengers make up a small share of arrivals, and the dispute raises political tensions that could change local economies, ferry operations and town life if restrictions are adopted.