The commoners were left alone yesterday in their attacks on the cruise ships. The former deputy mayor of Urban Planning and now spokesperson for the BComú group, Janet Sanz, told the Economy commission that Barcelona broke its own record for cruise passengers last year, which exceeded three and a half million, which shattered pre-pandemic records. that today the city has no other choice but to put limits on this activity...
“So we propose that a table be convened on the subject with representatives of the port, the State, the Generalitat, neighborhood associations and municipal groups,” said Sanz. The initiative, however, did not find support from the rest of the formations.
To those of Junts, meeting does not seem bad, but, as Damià Calvet pointed out, they preferred to abstain because they understand that the commons' proposal has a marked tourismphobic tone. On behalf of the government, the Deputy Mayor for Economy, Jordi Valls, acknowledged that Barcelona cannot continue breaking these records, but added that the path must be different from that marked by the commons.
Jordi Coronas, from ERC, reproached BComú for occasionally warning about the externalities of this sector and for having done so little about it during the two previous mandates. For her part, the popular Ángeles Esteller highlighted that cruises bring quality tourists, those who spend on taxis and restaurants. And Gonzalo de Oro, from Vox, added that these visitors are better than the backpackers who spend everything on joints.
