Despite the Barcelona City Council's continued demands to limit or even eliminate terminals that have already been agreed upon and approved, the Port Authority has established an ongoing dialogue with organizations related to the sector. Government agencies, the Port Community, CLIA, CDRA, and economic and social entities are invited to participate.
The Port of Barcelona has launched the Cruise Sustainability Council, a forum designed to improve the impact of cruise tourism on the Catalan capital. The Council has invited the following administrations, entities, and organizations related to this sector to participate: Barcelona City Council; the Government of Catalonia; the Barcelona Provincial Council; the Spanish Government Delegation in Catalonia; the Port Authority; CLIA (Cruise Lines International Association); the Air Route Development Committee (CDRA); and various economic and social entities. This Cruise Sustainability Council has five main objectives:
• Improve transparency and communication regarding cruise ship activity in the Port of Barcelona.
• Create a space for sharing and coordinating the various initiatives launched by different institutions.
• Reduce the negative environmental and social impacts of cruise ships.
• Increase the social and economic return of the sector on the city and its surrounding area.
• Strengthen the connection between cruise companies and the city's business, educational, and employment sectors.
With the support of this Cruise Sustainability Council, the Port of Barcelona is leading the coordination of initiatives aimed at improving the sustainable development of cruise activity, working alongside government agencies, the Port Community, and the economic and social fabric of the region. This new tool builds upon the agreement signed in 2018 between the Port and the Barcelona City Council, which reduces the number of cruise terminals to seven. Implementing this 2018 agreement will take approximately 10 years and will therefore not be completed until 2027, with the closure of the cruise terminal located on the Barcelona South Wharf. This agreement entails an investment of €265 million in public and private funds (upgrading the Adosado Wharf, constructing new terminals, decommissioning old ones, etc.) and incorporates improvements to cruise operations at the Port of Barcelona, facilitating an increase in homeport operations.
The governance of this Council will be the responsibility of a plenary session and will be structured into several working committees, focused on environmental, social, and economic sustainability. The founding document of the Council for Cruise Sustainability also proposes 50 actions that are already underway or will begin shortly, all framed within these three areas. A fourth axis, transversal to these working groups, is proposed to promote transparency and communication regarding the evolution of the Council's activities and initiatives, as well as the data and studies developed by the various stakeholders.
In the area of social sustainability, actions are focused on cruise passenger management, promoting a model based on the leadership of homeport cruise services. This has already begun with the limitation and relocation of cruise terminals and a commitment to reducing the seasonality of the activity. Another key area of focus is reducing congestion in the city's most popular tourist areas, diversifying tourism assets, and generating local employment in the sector. Regarding environmental sustainability, actions are aimed at reducing cruise ship emissions; promoting low-emission vessels and the Port's energy transition; optimizing water management; transforming waste into biogas; improving urban mobility; and working to promote biodiversity. With respect to economic sustainability, the measures proposed by the Port of Barcelona include increasing the number of homeport cruise ship arrivals, generating business in the country's productive sectors, and facilitating innovation projects.
It's important to remember that the Port of Barcelona is the European and Mediterranean leader as a homeport, meaning it's where cruise passengers begin and/or end their journeys—the segment that contributes the most to the city's economy. Furthermore, efforts are underway to convert some of the current cruise traffic into ships where Barcelona also serves as a homeport for a portion of the passengers, thus reinforcing its leading position as a port of embarkation and disembarkation for tourists.
The establishment of the Cruise Sustainability Council has achieved broad consensus among the administrations, entities, and organizations involved, laying the groundwork for further optimizing the management of cruise tourism arriving in Barcelona. This is done while clearly defining the legal framework, which allows for numerous improvements. The plenary session will meet two or three times a year, and various working groups will be formed. A technical secretariat will organize these working groups, which will be responsible for defining and implementing these measures.
