Tell me where you are from and I will tell you how much and what you spend your money on purchases when you travel. And a merchant will not make the same checkout, statistically speaking, if a visitor enters through the door of his business. Chinese, who, on average, will spend around 1,260 euros on purchases during their stay; compared to 500 euros for a British or the 326 euros of a French.
This is quantified by a report prepared by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC, for its acronym in English), based on 4,600 interviews with tourists from 24 different countries and presented this Thursday in The Rock Village. The study has x-rayed one of the most rising tourism subsectors: shopping tourism. And there are people who go to Paris because they want to visit the Eiffel Tower and others because they love Parisian fashion and want to spend a fortune in the local boutiques.
The economic contribution of this ‘shopping tourism’ is not minor and in Spain alone the report estimates that these visitors left a total of 2,428 million euros. A contribution that will presumably go further, since the 2021 data still shows obvious effects of the pandemic. In 2019 the contribution to Spanish GDP was 5,127 million euros. Spain is the ninth country in the world where shopping tourism has the greatest weight in the economy, as quantified by the WTTC.
In search of that quality tourist, or also said with high purchasing power, the study of the sector urges to look for it in emerging markets. And the Chinese, Argentinians, Saudis or Indians, among others, who have money and want to leave their country to spend it tend to do so much more than the Australians, Americans, Japanese or British, among others. While the former spend an average of 741 euros per trip (without taking into account the cost of flights or accommodation), the latter spend around 468 euros.
Food, cosmetics and jewelry
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Although the study draws substantial differences, ranging from the 1,260 euros in purchases from a Chinese – the most wasteful -, even the 326 euros of a Frenchman – the most austere -. Spaniards who travel shopping spend a little more, an average of 347 euros during their stay. And they don’t spend it on the same thing. According to the study, the chinese They prefer cosmetics and perfumes, Australians food and alcohol, indians clothing and accessories and visitors to Arab Emirates jewelry and watches, among others.
Another conclusion that the WTTC report leaves is that although many advertising campaigns try to capture the tourist who is looking for something different and a more ‘authentic’ immersion, visiting the traditional local shops, in the end the majority of foreigners who travel to shopping ends up going to the mall. Or to the big streets with the flagships of international references and the ‘duty free’ of airports, above artisan shops, street markets or other locations.