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Benidorm's most permanent souvenir isn't a fridge magnet
British tourists are leaving the Costa Blanca resort with something rather more lasting than a suntan, and the tattoo industry is booming as a result
Most people come home from Benidorm with a tan, a hangover and perhaps a novelty hat. An increasing number, however, are leaving with something considerably more permanent. Tattooing has become one of the city's quietly booming industries, and British tourists are among its most enthusiastic customers.There are now more than thirty establishments in the city offering tattoo services, from dedicated studios to parlours within beauty salons. The Ayuntamiento doesn't yet have confirmed 2026 figures, but anticipates growth of around 20% on the previous two years combined, which itself tells you something about the pace of change.
The appeal is partly financial. A small tattoo that costs around €50 in Benidorm might run to €80 or more back in the UK. For larger pieces, the gap widens considerably, with work that might cost €300 here potentially reaching €600 at home. But price isn't the whole story. For many visitors, a tattoo has simply become part of the Benidorm experience, a way of marking time spent there that goes rather deeper than a photograph.
Some take that quite literally. One of the most popular requests in studios with a predominantly British clientele is the word Benidorm paired with the year of the visit. Some regulars have turned it into a running collection, returning each summer to add a new year alongside the last, wearing their loyalty to the city on their skin in the most permanent way imaginable.
Stag and hen parties are a significant driver of the trade too, with groups often getting matching designs as a shared souvenir of the trip. Some of the requests are, by any measure, memorable. Studios also handle more personal commissions, portraits of people who have died, tributes to lost pets, symbols with deep private meaning. Those clients, one studio owner notes, often leave visibly moved.
British visitors tend to want things done quickly. The walk-in, want-it-now approach is a distinctly recognisable pattern, with studios noting that if the wait stretches beyond fifteen minutes, some simply move on to the next place along the street.
Not everyone in the industry is happy about how fast the sector has grown, with concerns about unregulated operators working from private homes creating both unfair competition and potential health risks. Professional studios use certified inks and operate under health inspection, something that informal operators can't guarantee.
As souvenirs go, it's definitely one that won't end up gathering dust on a shelf.
Image: Antoni Shkraba / AI25.studio/Pexels
