Luxury fashion and accessories account for 38% of tax-free purchases in Spain

11-07-23

Luxury clothing and accessories account for 37.9% of tax-free purchases made by international tourists in Spain. The average expenditure per person in this category stands at 999 euros, according to data compiled by Planet, a software and payment technology services company.

Fashion and luxury accessories account for 38% of tax-free shopping in Spain

The second most popular shopping destination for international tourists visiting Spain is department stores, which account for 21.7% of spending, with an average volume per person of 458 euros.

Fashion purchases of mid-range brands account for 18.8 % of the total (with an average spend of 166 euros); sports goods, 9 % with 150 euros and fragrances and cosmetics, 4.6 % (and 142 euros).

American tourists lead the ranking in terms of tax-free spending in Spain, followed by Mexicans, Chinese, Argentinians and Moroccans. "However, since the elimination of the zero Covid policy in China at the beginning of the year and the reactivation of the possibility for its citizens to travel abroad, there has been a clear increase in their contribution: if in January they accounted for 3.5% of the buyers of tax-free products, in May the percentage increased to 6.1%, with an average transaction value of more than 500 euros," the report adds.

By city, Barcelona and Madrid are in the top five European cities with the highest market share in this segment. In the case of the Catalan capital, the average expenditure stands at 295 euros per tourist, while in Madrid it reaches 321 euros.

"Spain is the third country in Europe with the highest market share, with an average expenditure of 343 euros, but far from the 1189 in France or the 1046 in Italy," the analysis states.

"The data on average spending on 'tax free' products can highlight the type of tourism with which each country is associated. We must continue to make efforts so that Spain is no longer considered as a sun and beach destination, which attracts only certain types of profiles. The aim is for the consumption that takes place while visiting our country to have an increasingly greater value", analyses Jorge Esteban, Planet's senior vice-president for southern Europe.