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The case for and against tourism taxes in Spain

Spain
Katherine Masters
22 April 2026

Tourism representatives hotly debated the issue of tourism tax and whether it serves its purpose without deterring visitors, at the Spain Talks event

Torremolinos
© iStock Mediterranean

Torremolinos in Andalusia where there is no tourism tax yet but there is ongoing debate

Views about tourism taxes ranged from being 'transformational' to 'a waste of time' during a panel debate at Spain Talks yesterday.

The annual trade event, now in its fourth year, is organised by the Spanish Tourist Office, hosted at the Spanish Embassy in London and aims to drive UK-Spanish collaboration and sustainable progress.  


One of the sessions, moderated by travel expert and broadcaster Simon Calder, focused on tourism taxes and presented arguments for and against them, from a destination point of view.