- Barcelona has banned cruise ships from docking at one of the terminals nearest its downtown.
- Starting in October, many cruise ships will dock farther from the city's center.
Barcelona has banned cruise ships from docking at one of the two terminals located in the city center, part of a growing push to limit overcrowding and pollution.
Starting in October, about 340 annual cruise ship and ferry calls will be redirected from the North Terminal at the World Trade Center to the Adossat Wharf, the furthest cruise pier from Barcelona's city center. The South Terminal, also located at the World Trade Center, will be closed by the end of 2026.
The Adossat Wharf is about a 30-minute drive from Las Ramblas, a popular tourist destination at the heart of Barcelona. Cruise passengers disembarking at Port of Barcelona terminals A, B, C, D, or E can either take a shuttle bus to the World Trade Center and walk 15 minutes to Las Ramblas, or arrange a private car service for a more direct route.
On October 2, the Port of Barcelona hosted a "farewell ceremony" for the last cruise ship to visit the North Terminal, a Mystic Cruises ship called the World Navigator.
Port of Barcelona President Lluís Salvadó, said the terminal's closure will help "eliminate the negative externalities" of cruise tourism, as outlined in a 2018 agreement with the city council. The move will create more than 13,600 square meters of public spaces for urban residents, according to a press release.
As Barcelona grapples with ways to encourage more sustainable tourism in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, cruise ships have emerged as a prime target for restrictions.
"There are thousands of people who arrive at once" Ada Colau, the former mayor of Barcelona, told the newspaper El Pais in 2022. "Most of them stay for just a few hours and are highly concentrated in the downtown area. They generate a feeling of collapse."
Barcelona isn't the only city placing new restrictions on cruise ships. From European destinations like Venice and Amsterdam to American ports like Key West and Bar Harbor, coastal communities around the globe are rethinking their relationships with cruise tourism.
This has led to some tensions between protestors and cruise passengers. Earlier in October, environmental activists dressed as polar bears and walruses confronted guests disembarking the World Traveller cruise ship in Douarnenez, a small town in Brittany, France.
Do you live or work in a popular cruise ship destination? Email this reporter at htowey@insider.com to share your perspective.