Barcelona is the latest historic city to prohibit large cruise ships from docking at its central city port.
In AUG of 2021, as Open Jaw reported, Venice banned cruise ships from waterways in the heart of the ancient city.
In its continued fight to limit pollution and over-tourism, Amsterdam took the decision to ban cruise ships from the city centre, which would lead to the closure of the central cruise terminal. According to Open Jaw’s latest reporting, the Dutch capital has yet to implement the decision.
Barcelona, on the other hand, is moving forward with a cruise ship ban. Beginning 22OCT, Barcelona's primary port will no longer accommodate passenger ships. Instead, cruise lines are being directed to anchor at terminals further away from the La Rambla district.
As reported by CruiseRadio.net, this new regulation was introduced by local officials to curtail cruise ship emissions and mitigate their impact on densely populated areas.
On 03OCT, the northern port hosted its last cruise ship. Lluis Salvador, President of the Port of Barcelona, heralded the event as "a historic day for the city." He commented, "We are pushing the pollution away, towards the south and reducing the emissions that reach the city," Salvador said.
In the future, cruise ships are slated to dock at the Moll Adossat Pier, the city's larger pier. For passengers, this change translates to an hour-long walk over a bridge to access the La Rambla district.
In tandem with this decision, Barcelona has reduced the number of cruise ships allowed to dock at its ports from 10 down to seven to manage the volume of tourists.
The debate surrounding cruise ship constraints began as early as 2018, when locals, wary of overwhelming tourism, resorted to protests and graffiti as deterrents for visitors.
