The Canary Islands is about to introduce its first – albeit modest – travel tax for inbound tourists in a bid to control the threat of overtourism.
The modest move will see, as of the beginning of January, visitors to the town of Mogan, on Gran Canaria, pay a fee of 15c per day for their visit.
Mogan is a small coastal town popular with hikers and whale spotters.
For the foreseeable future, it will be the only visitor levy to be imposed anywhere across the Canaries, but its effect will be closely watched by authorities ahead of a potential extension with the region battling overtourism over the past 12 months.
Local Mayor Onalia Bueno said: “We’re proud to take the lead. Mogan is now joining other European destinations that use tourist fees to protect their future and support local sustainability.”
The Mogan visitor fee will change, on an annual basis, depending on overall visitor numbers and tourism costs.
