Hoteliers in southern Gran Canaria are sounding the alarm after Brussels confirmed that the forthcoming ETIAS travel authorisation—already scheduled to start in late 2026—will cost €20 instead of the €7 originally announced. The increase, adopted by the European Commission in early October and reported locally on 7 November, is intended to cover additional operating costs, but industry leaders fear it could deter price-sensitive visitors from the UK and Nordic countries, markets that generate roughly 65 % of overnight stays in Maspalomas and Mogán.
ETIAS will require visa-exempt travellers to complete an online form and pay the fee before entering any Schengen country, including Spain. While the authorisation will remain valid for three years, the Gran Canaria Hoteliers Federation calculates that even a 1 % drop in arrivals linked to the higher charge could wipe €25 million a year from local revenues. Airlines and tour operators are already preparing customer-education campaigns to minimise last-minute airport surprises.
![€20 ETIAS fee hike rings alarm bells for Gran Canaria tourism lobby]()
From a mobility-programme perspective, multinationals that rotate non-EU staff through Spain for short assignments should build the €20 fee—and possible processing delays during the six-month soft-launch period—into travel budgets. Employers may also need to update duty-of-care briefings, as ETIAS refusals will obligate carriers to deny boarding.
The episode illustrates how seemingly minor regulatory tweaks at EU level can ripple through Spain’s regional economies. The Canary Islands government has asked Madrid to lobby for a “sun-and-sand” exemption or, failing that, an aggressive marketing fund to offset any demand shock. The Commission, however, insists that equal treatment across Schengen is non-negotiable.
ETIAS will require visa-exempt travellers to complete an online form and pay the fee before entering any Schengen country, including Spain. While the authorisation will remain valid for three years, the Gran Canaria Hoteliers Federation calculates that even a 1 % drop in arrivals linked to the higher charge could wipe €25 million a year from local revenues. Airlines and tour operators are already preparing customer-education campaigns to minimise last-minute airport surprises.
From a mobility-programme perspective, multinationals that rotate non-EU staff through Spain for short assignments should build the €20 fee—and possible processing delays during the six-month soft-launch period—into travel budgets. Employers may also need to update duty-of-care briefings, as ETIAS refusals will obligate carriers to deny boarding.
The episode illustrates how seemingly minor regulatory tweaks at EU level can ripple through Spain’s regional economies. The Canary Islands government has asked Madrid to lobby for a “sun-and-sand” exemption or, failing that, an aggressive marketing fund to offset any demand shock. The Commission, however, insists that equal treatment across Schengen is non-negotiable.
