The Cruise Sustainability Council, promoted by the Port of Barcelona and comprised of various administrations, entities, and organizations related to the cruise sector, has today created three working groups focused on environmental quality, mobility, and socio-economic factors. These groups will soon define the projects to be developed in these areas. Each group is led by a coordinator and a technical secretary who will be responsible for conducting a joint assessment of the impact of cruise ships and deciding on improvement measures. The working groups will propose work procedures, monitor the progress of the various projects, and set completion dates.
Apart from these working groups, during today's Council meeting the technical secretariat of the body was also created, made up of Pep Hurtado, from the Strategic Office of the Coastal Area, belonging to the Municipal Management of the Barcelona City Council, and Mar Pérez, head of Cruises of the Port of Barcelona.
This technical secretariat will be responsible for coordinating the work of the different working groups, establishing a roadmap to ensure the continuity of actions, and guaranteeing results, among other tasks. Also joining the Council today was Miquel Rodríguez Planas, the Economic Development Manager and representative of the new Barcelona City Council government team.
Finally, Carme Poveda, Director of Economic Analysis at the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce, announced that the organization is conducting a study commissioned by the Port of Barcelona, Mercabarna, and CLIA (Cruise Lines International Association) on “Opportunities for the Catalan agri-food industry in the cruise market.” This
is an important tool for improving the positive impact of cruises and reducing the negative ones. The Cruise Sustainability Council aims to improve the impact of cruise tourism on the Catalan capital and is comprised of representatives from the Port of Barcelona; the Barcelona City Council; the Government of Catalonia; the Barcelona Provincial Council; the Spanish Government Delegation in Catalonia; and CLIA (Cruise Lines International Association). the Air Route Development Committee (CDRA), Turisme de Barcelona, and economic and social entities and the Port Community such as: the Chamber of Commerce of Barcelona, Foment del Treball, PIMEC, Barcelona Oberta, the CCOO and UGT unions, the Federació d'Associacions de Veïns/es de Barcelona-FAVB, the guide associations AGUICAT I APIT or the Institut Metropolità del Taxi, among others.
The Cruise Sustainability Council enjoys broad consensus among the
administrations, entities, and organizations involved and is already working to optimize the management of cruise tourism arriving in Barcelona and achieve the objectives set at its inception:
• Improve transparency and communication regarding cruise activity in the Port of
Barcelona.
• Create a space to share and coordinate the various initiatives launched
by different institutions.
• Reduce the negative environmental and social impacts of cruises.
• Increase the social and economic return of the sector on the city and its hinterland.
• Strengthen the connection between cruise companies and the city's business, educational, and employment sectors.
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