Spain was planning a pilot scheme for mutual pre-departure testing for travel between the UK and Germany and the Canary Islands.
Visitors to Spain from countries designated high risk by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control need a negative Covid-19 PCR test to enter.
It was hoped that The Canaries, which has a lower infection rate than the mainland, can move to the faster antigen tests.
The country’s secretary of state for tourism, Fernando Valdés, said: “The current requirement in Spain for PCR tests to prove tourists are Covid-free has to change to reduce barriers to travel ahead of a vaccine rollout.”
The pilot is expected to run from 15 December.