Costa del shopping? Spain targets retail tourists

Spain has enjoyed a record-breaking summer, with some 54.4 million foreign visits in the first nine months of 2015, up 3.8 per cent on the year before, according to the Industry, Energy and Tourism Ministry.

Even with the summer season over, though, the value of Christmas shopping in luring customers from overseas has certainly not been lost on the Iberian country, as Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria explains:

"We have to open the riches of tourism to other sectors of the economy to end the bipolarity and seasonal nature posed by alternatives such as the sun and beach."

The capital, Madrid, is already a well established international shopping destination. According to Xinhua news agency, it is the fifth most popular city in Europe in terms of spending by non-European visitors (after London, Paris, Barcelona and Istanbul). Yet Spain is now keen to promote shopping tourism across the country.

Marc Pritchard, Sales and Marketing Director of homebuilder Taylor Wimpey España, which has launched homes near the retail hub of Alicante, comments: "Spain is a great destination for shopping, whether it's in the run-up to Christmas or at any other time of year. In the south of the country, Alicante is a particularly attractive destination when it comes to high-end clothes and luxury items like watches and jewellery. There's a wide variety of choice, from huge shopping malls to tiny boutique stores."