Shore excursions and crowding in Barcelona and Valencia

Note on the source. This source should be read with caution: it may be funded by the sector, a draft or a thesis, or rely on self-reported or modelled data. See the limitations below.

The question

To what extent do shore excursions sold on board concentrate cruise passengers in the historic centres of port cities or spread them into the hinterland? The comparison is between Barcelona (a mature, congested destination) and Valencia (an emerging destination).

The method

Multiple case study: content analysis of excursion descriptions published on cruise line websites (98 excursions from 9 lines for Barcelona, 86 from 10 for Valencia, covering about 75% of 2017 calls); relative frequencies of municipalities and attractions and density maps; supply-side analysis, with no data on the number of buyers.

What the study finds

85 out of 100offered excursions stopping in the port cityIn both cities roughly 85 out of 100 excursions offered by cruise lines include a stop in the port city itself: the authors therefore classify Barcelona and Valencia as 'black hole' ports that keep flows inside the city.

> 80%of excursions on sale stay within the cityOnly one in five excursions on sale takes passengers outside the port city, even though such trips could ease pressure on it; more than 80% stay within the city limits, where the best-known sights are.

58%of Barcelona city excursions include Ciutat VellaIn Barcelona the 84 city excursions focus on a few districts: Ciutat Vella is included in 58% of offers, the Eixample in 55% and Montjuïc and its surroundings in 45%. The Sagrada Família alone features in 52% (one excursion can cover several places).

62%of Valencia city excursions include the historic centreIn Valencia the historic centre is included in 62% of the 74 city excursions and the City of Arts and Sciences in 31%. Based on the offer, the authors argue Valencia is following Barcelona's concentration model and could develop similar problems as calls increase.

Outside Barcelona only Montserrat monastery, 61.5 km away, carries real weight, appearing in more than 12% of excursions. Other regional destinations stay between 1% and 4%.
According to reports cited by the authors, cruise passengers spend on average 4 h 20 min ashore in Barcelona and 4 h 30 min in Valencia, a window that restricts visits to the main sights.
The authors' proposals include separate stops for tour coaches and shuttles, a cruise strategy plan shared by public bodies, businesses and residents, public transport that accounts for cruise visitors, regional and walking routes to lesser-known sights, capped or booking-only access at the busiest spots, and apps signalling crowding in real time.

Why it matters for ports and cities

The programme of excursions sold on board is an underused but decisive lever for distributing flows: if almost all target the same attractions, overcrowding is partly built into the offer. The study suggests cities and ports work with ground operators on alternative itineraries, using the fact that call schedules and volumes are known in advance.

Limitations

Supply-side analysis only (website descriptions): it is not known how many people buy each excursion, and cruise passengers visiting on their own are not considered. Data on length of stay and spending come from third-party reports.

Full reference and source

Navarro-Ruiz, S., Casado-Díaz, A. B., Ivars-Baidal, J. (2019). Cruise tourism: the role of shore excursions in the overcrowding of cities. International Journal of Tourism Cities (ahead-of-print).

Read the original study ↗

Summary written by the ODYBOAT Observatory in our own words. Tables and figures belong to the authors.