The CLIA Spain column
By Alfredo Serrano
Managing Director CLIA Spain
Article from CruisesNews magazine no. 70 – September 2024
Barcelona: How the strength of transit operations boosted the home port
It's well known that one of the biggest aspirations of many destinations is to become a home port. The economic advantages are significant. On the one hand, cruise ship passengers often arrive a few days before the ship sails and/or stay after their trip ends, resulting in increased spending (hotels, restaurants, transportation, leisure activities, etc.). On the other hand, cruise lines take advantage of the longer duration of these port calls to carry out resupply operations. Furthermore, it promotes a more natural distribution of visitors throughout the city and a more relaxed experience, meaning less tourist pressure on the areas bordering the city and the port.
In mid-July, the Port of Barcelona reviewed its first six months of the year, revealing two figures that I find particularly relevant in the current context: 83% of the port calls recorded in the first half of 2024 were homeport calls, representing a 20 percentage point increase over the last decade. Beyond being extremely positive figures—which even represent a record for the Port—they confirm the success of the work done to attract these types of calls and, of course, the commitment of shipping lines to Barcelona. After choosing Barcelona as a transit destination, they decided to take the next step, making it a homeport. I am absolutely convinced that this achievement is being analyzed by other national and international ports, which look to the Port of Barcelona as a benchmark, as an example to follow.
The data presented by the public entity should also be welcomed by the various authorities who, on countless occasions, have expressed their clear preference for tourists who begin their journey from Barcelona, painting a somewhat simplified (and, in a way, caricatured) picture of cruise tourists in transit.
But how far can the homeport operation grow? Will it be possible to reach 100%? My feeling is that this is utopian for the simple reason that it would make little sense for French or Italian tourists to have to travel to Barcelona to embark when ports like Marseille or Civitavecchia regularly share itineraries with Barcelona.
This clear advantage of operating from a home port in Barcelona presents an opportunity to reflect on the constant criticism leveled at transit cruise ship tourists and to distinguish fact from false beliefs. I'll pose some questions that I often ask myself without yet finding answers: Why are they considered a different category from visitors arriving by other means of transport? Why are they the only ones who—without staying overnight—have to pay a tourist tax?
Regarding this tax, it is important to emphasize that its amount has more than tripled in recent years, reaching—after the latest update implemented by the City Council—seven euros per person. In this respect, a study conducted by the University of Barcelona estimated that cruise ship tourists contribute 13% to the revenue collected by the City Council from the Tourist Establishment Tax (IETT) plus the municipal surcharge, even though they represent only 4% of the city's visitors.
Perhaps the start of the new academic year is the ideal time to chart a new roadmap leading to a holistic approach to tourism management and taxation, considering all segments without stigmatizing any one over another. Only in this way can Barcelona continue to benefit from the countless advantages this industry offers, improve coexistence between residents and visitors, and avoid being overwhelmed by its own success, as is so often heard. The cruise sector is more than willing to collaborate with the various public administrations and other stakeholders to move forward in this direction.
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