Recent data show that 59% of purchases by tourists visiting Spain are made in clothing stores. Moreover, Barcelona is the city most preferred by tourists for shopping. These are the findings of an annual report 'The Textile Trade in Figures' by the Business Association of Textile Trade and Accessories (ACOTEX).
The remaining spending of foreign tourists in Spain is divided between watches and jewelry (15%), department stores (13%), electronics and appliances (4%), sporting goods and clothing (3%) and other products (6 %).
Chinese visitors have the highest average spending on purchases (924 Euros), followed by Mexicans, who fell in the past year from fourth to second place, and Americans who spend an average of 548 Euros on each purchase. They are followed in the rankings by the Japanese (536 Euros) and Russians (407 Euros). Other markets also worthy of note are Brazil (343 Euros), Morocco (313 Euros), Venezuela (286 Euros) and Argentina (262 Euros).
Of the purchases made by tourists in the spanish clothing stores, according to Tax Free figures, 46% are made in Barcelona, 35% in Madrid and 8% in Málaga. As in previous years, these three cities are the ones where tourists do most of their shopping in Spain. They are followed in order of importance by the Balearic Islands, Alicante and Valencia with 2% of purchases made.
With regard to the share of purchases, the Chinese make the most purchases with 27% (6% more than in the previous year), followed by Russian tourists with 18%. Further behind them are other markets such as Morocco (4%), Mexico, USA and Brazil (3%) and Japan and Venezuela (2% of market share).