The First Deputy Mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, and the President of the Port Authority, Mercè Conesa, met with the heads of the main cruise lines operating in the Port of Barcelona to analyze the sector's situation in the current pandemic context. The meeting, which took place both in person at Barcelona City Hall and virtually, included the participation of the Councillor for Tourism and Creative Industries, Xavier Marcé; the Port Authority's General Manager, José Alberto Carbonell; and, representing the cruise lines, the Managing Director of CLIA Europe (Cruise Line International Association), Ukko Metsola; the Director of CLIA Spain, Alfredo Serrano; representatives of cruise lines that are members of the CLIA Executive Committee; the Managing Directors of Costa Group and Carnival Asia, Costa Crociere SpA, Michael Tamm and Luigi Stefanelli; the CEO of MSC Cruises SA, Pierfrancesco Vago; and the Director of MSC Spain, Fernando Pacheco.
The President of the Port of Barcelona, Mercè Conesa, has stated that “the Port of Barcelona intends to restart operations in 2021, working closely with health authorities to ensure COVID-free terminals and safe protocols for travelers and residents of the towns visited.” Conesa also noted that cruise ships arriving in Barcelona generate approximately 9,000 jobs in the city and surrounding area, and that the sector's annual revenue is €1.083 billion, contributing €562 million to the Catalan economy.
For his part, the first deputy mayor and head of the Economy, Labor, Competitiveness and Finance department, Jaume Collboni, conveyed to the main shipping companies "the City Council's willingness to recover a key sector for the economy, taking into account that Barcelona wants a sustainable tourism model, environmentally and socially, and compatible with life in the city.".
The deputy mayor recalled that Barcelona signed an agreement to regulate cruise activity, limiting the number of terminals to seven and concentrating them at the Adossat Wharf, and to reduce ship emissions and long-term environmental impact. This plan, being implemented in phases until 2023, also includes improving mobility between the Port and the city and creating public spaces. “The cruise industry is a key industry for tourism in Barcelona, and we want to remain a home port for cruise departures and arrivals,” Collboni continued. “We have a shared work agenda on sustainability, and Barcelona wants to remain a benchmark in the Mediterranean.” The deputy mayor added, “This sector allows us, among other things, to strengthen our international connectivity at the airport level, creating important synergy between the city’s two infrastructures: the port and the airport.”.
