To provide a method for production with which disadvantages possessed by a conventional method for producing aromatic esters can be overcome and the corresponding aromatic ester compound can efficiently be produced from phenols and an aliphatic carboxylic acid in good yield.

A tetravalent zirconium compound and/or a tetravalent hafnium compound and any one or more kinds of acidic compounds of sulfonic acids, heteropoly acids and superstrong acids are used as a catalyst in combination to produce the aromatic ester compound from the phenols and aliphatic carboxylic acid.