An estimated 89% of the Spanish plan on spending their vacations at a domestic destination, according to a study conducted by MasterCard and together with Euromonitor International on the travel tendencies in Europe.
The study, which analyzed the responses of 2.2 million people surveyed, reveals a large tendency toward domestic tourism in the whole European region where the majority of tourists tend to stay in their own countries for this round of vacations, which means an increase of 11.4% regarding 2013.
By country, France is the destination with the largest amount of domestic tourism this summer, followed by Spain, Germany, and the United Kingdom.
Regarding international tourism, Spain is also the favorite country for those who have thought about traveling outside their borders, chosen by 9.2% of users, while France is the chosen option for the tourists of our country, chosen by 19.9%.
Behind France is Italy with 13.9% and Portugal with 12.8%.
And whether inside or out of the country, MasterCard has pointed out the importance of electronic payments when you travel, being a “perfect travel companion,” increasing ease, comfort, as well as security and keeping in mind that 54.9% of the Spanish choose electronic payment forms to make purchases on their vacations.
“The global acceptance of cards makes it so the traveler can be calm during their whole trip without having to worry about going to an ATM to take out money or change currencies,” explained the General Director of the company in Spain, Ovidio Egido.
In collation with his observations, MasterCard has made a brief guide with practical advice so that the Spanish that are traveling don't experience setbacks when it's time to pay.
In this sense, the company recommends trying new ways of paying that are fast and secure, including paying with your cell phone, making the most of credit cards, and calling your financial entity in advance to inform them what your destination is, among other advice.