Canary Islands’ voluntary tourist tax to fund sustainability projects

Known for their year-round sunshine, mild climate, beaches perfect for relaxation or watersports, and rich biodiversity, the Canary Islands are a popular tourist destination.

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In 2025, the Spanish archipelago welcomed 18.4 million visitors who stayed for an average of around nine days. Unlike other Spanish destinations, such as Barcelona and the wider region of Catalonia, the Canary Islands doesn’t impose a levy on visitors – however, travellers will soon be able to make voluntary contributions to support the islands’ sustainability efforts.

The Government of the Canary Islands has launched the Canary Islands Tourism Regeneration and Nature Restoration Fund (RegNext) initiative, with support from the UK Spanish Tourist Office to fund environmental and community projects.

The system will be in place across the islands of Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro.

RegNext is designed to ensure that revenue generated by tourism enriches the archipelago’s ecological, social and cultural standing, while also signalling the Canary Islands as leading within the field of regenerative tourism as an incubator of sustainability.

“In the initial phase of RegNext, five pilot projects will be selected: one on each of the islands with the highest tourism pressure, and another cross-cutting project of a social nature covering the entire archipelago,” Canary Islands Tourism said.

“To implement them, the Commission [of the Alliance for Regenerative Tourism] will design a voluntary, traceable, and transparent financing system that will allow resources to be directly and specifically allocated to regeneration projects.”

Projects funded through RegNext will be monitored against outcomes, including reducing emissions, habitat restoration, species recovery, landscape improvement, green job creation and in turn, reducing poverty.

According to Canary Islands Tourism, the sector has played a role in tackling unemployment, providing jobs for 280,534 people.

One of the backers to collaborate on RegNext is easyJet holidays. Calling the initiative a “big step forward for regenerative tourism”, the UK tour operator signed a memorandum of understanding alongside other travel industry organisations such as TUI, Expedia, Jet2 and Jet2holidays. UN Tourism also supported the signing of the agreement.

“At easyJet holidays we believe destinations thrive when tourism actively supports the places and communities that make holidays possible,” it said in a statement. “RegNext will channel tourism value into nature restoration, climate resilience and community benefit across the islands.”