Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
Authors
Victor Oliver Sust
Enrique Garca Illera
Albert Solana Berengu
Roberto Gonzlez Garca
Mara Victoria Pelez Alonso
Maria Jos Tom Torres
Genis Roca Verard
Oriol Lloret Albert
Xavier Capellades Ramos
Pablo Rodrguez Rodrguez
Editorial coordination
Anna Miracle Fandos
A publication by:
and
This report is the property of Telefnica I+D and RocaSalvatella. Commercial use of
neither the original work nor any derivative works is permitted. Copying or diffusion
is not permitted without the express consent of Telefnica I+D and RocaSalvatella;
recognition and mention of its authors is also necessary.
Barcelona, May 2014
2 / 48
Index
1. Executive summary
2. Introduction
2.1.
2.2.
2.3.
10
10
10
12
Visitors
13
13
3. Detailed analysis
3.1.
3.1.1.
3.2.
3.3.
3.4.
3.5.
4. Specific recommendations
for hotels
4.1.
4.2.
4.3.
4.4.
4.5.
14
Length of stay
15
3.2.1
Average stay
15
3.2.2.
16
3.2.3.
17
3.2.4.
18
3.2.5.
18
21
23
3.4.1.
23
3.4.2.
27
Spending
28
3.5.1.
28
3.5.2.
30
3.5.3.
33
the stay
3.5.4.
35
Introduction
Spending-based hotel category methodology
Overall recommendations
Specific action for hotels in Barcelona
37
37
37
38
39
4.4.1.
39
4.4.2.
4-star hotels in Barcelona (total daily price between 100 and 140)
40
4.4.3.
40
41
4.5.1.
41
4.5.2.
4-star hotels in Madrid (total daily price between 100 and 140)
42
4.5.3.
43
5. Methodological note
5.1.
44
44
5.1.1.
BBVA dataset
44
5.1.2.
Telefnicas dataset
45
5.2.
Privacy
46
6.1.
6.2.
List of tables
List of figures
47
47
48
6. Annex
3 / 48
1. Executive summary
1. Executive
summary
Big Data: the potential for
data to improve service and
business management
One of the documents main strengths lies in having been able to gather
together and cross-reference data from two different companies:
Telefnica Mviles Espaa and BBVA. The former provided data about the
activities of foreign handsets that used Telefnicas infrastructure between
7 and 21 October 2012 in Madrid and Barcelona; while BBVA provided data
on electronic payments by foreign cards sent through the banks terminal
network in those cities during the same period. RocaSalvatella and
Telefnica I+D have worked on analysing the data and producing the reports
conclusions and recommendations.
The set of tourists who visited Barcelona or Madrid during the analysed
period were selected from the following 21 countries included in the study:
France, Italy, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Portugal, Switzerland,
Sweden, Poland, the United States, Belgium, Russia, Norway, Brazil,
Denmark, Argentina, Japan, China, India, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia
and Singapore. 680,928 mobile handsets and 168,921 cards were included in
the study.
4 / 48
1. Executive summary
Main Conclusions
Many different indicators were used to carry out the study. On the one hand,
we studied indicators traditionally used by the tourism industry and others
that could not be quantified without Big Data analysis. The study has made it
possible to obtain information about the following aspects:
5 / 48
1. Executive summary
Length of stay:
Overall, the average stay in the cities analysed is a total of 2.24 days.
Generally speaking, the length of stay increases by 20% if the visitor arrived
on a working day.
Nordic visitors tend to stay longer than tourists from countries such as Russia,
Saudi Arabia or the Arab Emirates. Japanese and American citizens limit their
visit to 2 days.
In Barcelona, visitors from Nordic countries (Denmark, Norway and Sweden)
stay longer than average while in Madrid people from Singapore, India and
Saudi Arabia stay longer than average.
People from the same country may behave in contrasting ways depending on
the city. For example, India is one of the countries with the longest stays in
Madrid but the shortest stays in Barcelona.
Travel between Madrid and Barcelona:
Out of the total number of mobile phones analysed, 66% stayed in Barcelona
while 31% stayed in Madrid. Just 4% were in both cities during the analysed
period.
Accommodation:
As a general rule, visitors from countries farther away such as Japan, China
and Brazil tend to stay in hotels closer to the centre of the cities, while
visitors from nearby countries such as Portugal, France and Belgium choose
accommodation farther from the centre.
Visitors to Barcelona are mainly concentrated in 3 areas of the city (Ciutat
Vella, Eixample and Sant Mart) and also outside of the city.
In Madrid there is one predominant district, Centro, in the city centre, where
almost half of visitors to the city stay. The other half is very fragmented
among the rest of the districts.
Visitors from non-European countries and non-Latin American countries
mostly stay in 5-star hotels. Switzerland is an exception as it is also in the
5-star list.
Visitors from European countries mainly stay in 4-star hotels, except for
French and Portuguese visitors who stay in lower category hotels.
Brazil and Argentina are the only non-European countries that stay in 3-star
or lower accommodation.
Sweden is a surprise in that unlike the rest of Nordic countries they also stay
in 3-star accommodation together with the French and Portuguese.
6 / 48
1. Executive summary
Spending:
Average cumulative card spending by each visitor during their stay was 161.5
and average card spending per day was 58.5.
The visitors who spent the most during their entire stay were those from
Singapore, China, Japan and the Arab Emirates in that order. Visitors who
spent the least money were those from nearby countries such as Portugal
and France, Nordic countries such as Sweden and Denmark, and Argentina.
As far as the difference between cities is concerned, visitors from Denmark,
Norway and Sweden spend more in Madrid than in Barcelona. Tourists from
India and Singapore spend more in Barcelona.
Spending on accommodation
If one analyses only spending on accommodation, average spending for the
entire stay is around 300 and the average daily expenditure or price per
night is 129.
It is important to highlight that average spending on accommodation is higher
than overall average spending on all expenditure headings. That is because the
total volume of transactions is far higher than the volume of transactions for
accommodation alone. The exact figures are given in point 3.5.3.
The group of countries from the Middle East and India spend practically twice
as much on accommodation as the rest of countries. Argentinians, French,
Portuguese and Brazilians spend the least on accommodation. That is in
spite of the fact that 10% of tourists from these countries stay in Madrid or
Barcelona for more than 6 days.
Spending on accommodation by tourists in Barcelona is notably higher
than in Madrid (around 20%). Part of this additional spending could be due
to visitors staying longer in Barcelona than in Madrid, 2.28 days versus 2.15
days. One should also consider that hotels in Barcelona could be more
expensive than those in Madrid.
7 / 48
1. Executive summary
Detecting areas of the city in which commercial transactions are carried out,
Specially, those referring to accommodation.
We have observed the need to adapt action to win customers based on the
hotels category and the country in which the action will be carried out. For
example, for 5-star hotels in Barcelona it is recommended to carry out action
to win customers in countries in the Arabian Peninsula, India and China and
for 3-star hotels lower-cost action is recommended in France, the Nordic
countries, Brazil and Argentina.
8 / 48
1. Executive summary
5-star hotels in Madrid that want to win customers should focus on countries
such as the United States, Switzerland, China and Japan. In contrast, 3-star
hotel should focus on neighbouring countries such as France, Italy and
Portugal but also far-away countries such as Brazil, Argentina and Singapore.
Although the conclusions mention that most visitors stay in the centre of
Madrid, analysis shows that a central location is not a determining factor for
visitors from the Arab Emirates or India.
Finally, it is recommended to adapt offers to stays of 2 or 3 nights depending
on the country of origin. For example, it is advisable to offer a 3-night package
to Indian visitors and a 2-night package to Russians.
It is also relevant to know cumulative spending by nationality and which
tourists the hotel may sell new added services to. For example, visitors from
China, Japan, the Arabian Peninsula and Russia spend significant amounts in
fashion shops and consume luxury products in Madrid. These services may
provide a new source of income.
9 / 48
2. Introduction
2. Introduction
The study has a two-fold objective: on the one hand, to demonstrate the
possibilities offered by analysing large amounts of data (an option that
technology has made possible only relatively recently) when making
decisions in an industry as important for the economy as tourism. On the
other hand, the aim is to make use of the datasets that large companies
such as BBVA and Telefnica can make available to society, which will
undoubtedly contribute to a general improvement in decision-making,
especially in urban environments.
In order to achieve these two aims, the study analyses, from a business
perspective, certain aspects of the behaviour of foreign visitors to Madrid
and Barcelona during a very limited period of time. It does so by using
duly aggregated and anonymised data, based on the location of base
stations to which mobile phones connect during the day and credit
card use. The conclusions were applied to one particular aspect of the
tourism industry: hotels. The end result is a set of highly-specific business
recommendations that a hotel could follow, which would show that
having and appropriately analysing such data is relevant when it comes to
making business decisions.
The specific aspects of visitor behaviour analysed are based on the following
categories:
10 / 48
2. Introduction
11 / 48
2. Introduction
Reliability: the data used are based on users real actions not on surveys. In
other words, real actions have been analysed instead of stated intentions or
answers to questions.
Hybridising data with other current or future sources: since they are
structured and geopositioned data, it is possible to cross-reference them
with other sources such as social media, open public data and others whether
currently in production or potential information sources that may be created
or released in the future.
12 / 48
3. Detailed analysis
3. Detailed
analysis
3.1. Visitors
Table 1:
Country
Total
telephones
Telephones
in BCN
%
Telephones
%
BCN/TOTAL in MADRID MADRID/TOTAL
FRANCE
117.014
83.901
71,7%
33.113
28,3%
ITALY
114.108
75.146
65,9%
38.962
34,1%
UNITED KINGDOM
104.909
75.556
72,0%
29.353
28,0%
NETHERLANDS
63.256
47.393
74,9%
15.863
25,1%
PORTUGAL
39.784
15.569
39,1%
24.215
60,9%
SWITZERLAND
36.518
26.560
72,7%
9.958
27,3%
SWEDEN
29.325
21.714
74,0%
7.611
26,0%
POLAND
28.775
19.550
67,9%
9.225
32,1%
UNITED STATES
24.706
14.205
57,5%
10.501
42,5%
BELGIUM
24.050
16.105
67,0%
7.945
33,0%
RUSSIA
18.063
13.905
77,0%
4.158
23,0%
NORWAY
15.355
12.187
79,4%
3.168
20,6%
BRAZIL
13.274
5.140
38,7%
8.134
61,3%
DENMARK
12.708
10.555
83,1%
2.153
16,9%
ARGENTINA
10.028
3.636
36,3%
6.392
63,7%
JAPAN
8.981
5.485
61,1%
3.496
38,9%
CHINA
8.423
3.762
44,7%
4.661
55,3%
INDIA
3.231
1.715
53,1%
1.516
46,9%
UNITED ARAB
EMIRATES
3.218
1.762
54,8%
1.456
45,2%
SAUDI ARABIA
2.900
1.698
58,6%
1.202
41,4%
SINGAPORE
OVERALL TOTAL
2.302
1.620
70,4%
682
29,6%
680.928
457.164
67,1%
223.764
32,9%
Among the nationalities selected, French, Italian and British tourists were
the ones who visited us the most by far. These three countries together made
up 50% of the total number of visitors from the 21 countries analysed. This
applies similarly to each of the two cities analysed, Barcelona and Madrid.
The United States, which is ninth in the ranking, is the non-European Union
country with the highest number of visitors at 3.62% of the total.
13 / 48
3. Detailed analysis
17%
FRANCE
51%
Figure 1:
Distribution of visitors by
country
ITALY
13%
UNITED KINGDOM
(Telefnica data)
OTHER COUNTRIES
15%
Two out of three visitors choose Barcelona (67%) as a destination and one in
three choose Madrid (33%).
67%67%
33%33%
Figure 2:
BARCELONA
BARCELONA
(Telefnica data)
MADRID
MADRID
When preferences between the two cities are compared by country of origin,
Argentinians, Brazilians and Portuguese prioritise Madrid as a destination
with percentages of more than 60% while visitors from Nordic countries
choose Barcelona with percentages of more than 75% of the total.
100%
Figure 3:
25%
0%
DE
NM
A
NO RK
RW
AY
R
NE
T H US S
IA
ER
LA
ND
S
S
SW WE
DE
UN IT Z
N
I T ER
ED L A
K I ND
NG
DO
FR M
A
N
SI
N G CE
AP
OR
PO E
LA
ND
BE
LG
IU
M
IT
AL
Y
S A JA
UD PA
N
UN
UN I A R
IT
AB
ED I T E
I
AR D S A
AB TAT
EM E S
IR
AT
ES
IN
DI
A
CH
P O IN
RT A
UG
AL
BR
AR A Z
GE IL
NT
IN
A
(Telefnica data)
75%
50%
75%
25%
AY
AR
RW
NM
DE
IA
SS
NO
ND
LA
ER
14 / 48
RU
EN
ED
SW
TH
NE
AN
DO
RL
NG
ZE
KI
SW
IT
CE
OR
AN
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AP
FR
IT
UN
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IU
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LG
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AT
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SA
A
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BI
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PA
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ED
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AL
IN
CH
IL
AZ
UG
RT
PO
BR
IN
0%
NT
(Telefnica data)
50%
GE
AR
Figure 4:
3. Detailed analysis
Table 2:
Average stay
(Telefnica data)
DENMARK
2,98
NORWAY
2,91
SWEDEN
2,87
SINGAPORE
2,72
RUSSIA
2,66
POLAND
2,66
BRAZIL
2,65
SAUDI ARABIA
2,63
NETHERLANDS
2,50
ARGENTINA
2,45
2,30
CHINA
2,18
PORTUGAL
2,16
INDIA
2,15
UNITED KINGDOM
2,14
BELGIUM
2,13
ITALY
2,11
JAPAN
2,10
UNITED STATES
2,08
FRANCE
1,94
SWITZERLAND
1,91
2,24
Overall, the total average stay by visitors from the 21 countries analysed
is 2.24 days. Generally speaking, the length of stay increases by 20% if the
visitor arrived on a working day.
The Nordic countries stand out in staying longer than more far-off countries
such as Russia, Saudi Arabia and the Arab Emirates. Visitors from France
and Switzerland are at the bottom of the table with the shortest stays. It is
surprising to see Japan and the United States at the bottom end of the table
with a stay of around 2 days.
People from the same country may behave in contrasting ways depending on
the city. For example, India is one of the countries with the longest stays in
Madrid but the shortest stays in Barcelona.
15 / 48
3. Detailed analysis
Table 3:
Average
stay
Average stay
starting at
a weekend
Average stay
starting on
a working day
3,18
3,76
2,91
NORWAY
3,16
2,63
3,33
SWEDEN
2,94
2,66
3,19
BRAZIL
2,92
2,47
3,1
RUSSIA
2,8
2,16
2,81
POLAND
2,77
2,41
2,85
ARGENTINA
2,73
2,53
2,75
SINGAPORE
2,72
2,59
2,78
SAUDI ARABIA
2,67
2,24
2,85
NETHERLANDS
2,55
2,43
2,6
2,47
2,44
2,47
BELGIUM
2,23
1,71
2,42
PORTUGAL
2,22
1,74
2,35
UNITED KINGDOM
2,17
1,93
2,17
UNITED STATES
2,11
1,61
2,41
Country
DENMARK
CHINA
2,1
1,82
2,17
JAPAN
2,08
2,04
2,05
ITALY
2,01
1,66
2,1
FRANCE
1,99
1,63
2,09
SWITZERLAND
1,95
1,72
2,03
INDIA
1,66
1,51
1,73
Visitors from Nordic countries (Denmark, Norway and Sweden) stay longer
than average in Barcelona, while France, Switzerland and India are the
countries with the shortest stays.
16 / 48
3. Detailed analysis
Table 4:
Country
SINGAPORE
Average
stay
Average stay
starting at
a weekend
Average stay
starting on
a working day
2,73
2,98
2,61
2,7
2,03
2,31
SWEDEN
2,67
1,83
2,9
SAUDI ARABIA
2,58
2,14
2,83
BRAZIL
2,48
2,06
2,7
INDIA
POLAND
2,42
2,16
2,43
NETHERLANDS
2,34
2,07
2,43
ARGENTINA
2,29
2,02
2,47
ITALY
2,29
1,83
2,5
CHINA
2,25
1,94
2,34
2,2
1,89
2,3
RUSSIA
JAPAN
2,14
2,12
2,17
PORTUGAL
2,12
1,55
2,29
2,1
1,81
2,14
UNITED KINGDOM
2,06
1,59
2,17
UNITED STATES
2,04
1,64
2,24
DENMARK
1,99
1,9
2,08
NORWAY
1,97
1,55
2,2
BELGIUM
1,92
1,29
2,19
FRANCE
1,83
1,43
SWITZERLAND
1,81
1,52
1,99
Singapore, India and Saudi Arabia all stay longer than the average, while
nearby European countries (Switzerland, France and Belgium) have shorter
stays.
17 / 48
3. Detailed analysis
Figure 5:
2,15 days
(Telefnica data)
1
BARCELONA
MADRID
There is a slight difference between Barcelona and Madrid with slightly longer
stays in Barcelona (2.28 days) than in Madrid (2.15 days).
If one compares the difference in relation to the arrival day, in Barcelona the
length of stay is only 17% longer if the visitors arrive on a working day, while
that difference lengthens to 30% in Madrid.
3.2.5. Distribution of
nationalities by length of stay
Figure 6:
14%
14%
<<11day
day
11--33days
days
(Telefnica data)
57%
57%
23%
23%
33--66days
days
>>66days
days
It is surprising how many visitors stay less than one day, 57%, which shortens
the average stay. It makes sense to think of them not only as visitors who
arrive and leave the country the same day but also as people who arrive in
Spain and then go to other places outside of Barcelona and Madrid.
In the following points we will analyse the distribution by countries within
these ranges of length of stay for each of the two cities.
18 / 48
3. Detailed analysis
Table 5:
Percentage distribution of
the number of telephones in
Barcelona according to four
stay length ranges
(Telefnica data)
Country
< 1 day
1 -3 days
3 - 6 days
SAUDI ARABIA
44,72%
28,09%
19,20%
7,99%
ARGENTINA
44,41%
29,09%
17,92%
8,58%
> 6 days
BELGIUM
58,61%
21,11%
11,82%
8,46%
BRAZIL
36,82%
34,08%
21,86%
7,25%
CHINA
51,60%
36,06%
9,31%
3,04%
DENMARK
36,51%
22,18%
33,22%
8,09%
47,28%
28,53%
15,67%
8,51%
UNITED STATES
57,57%
23,67%
11,86%
6,90%
FRANCE
62,91%
21,00%
10,50%
5,59%
NETHERLANDS
47,58%
22,46%
21,39%
8,58%
INDIA
69,56%
16,02%
4,88%
9,54%
ITALY
61,95%
22,12%
10,08%
5,85%
JAPAN
55,37%
34,43%
6,82%
3,37%
NORWAY
33,86%
26,95%
28,41%
10,78%
POLAND
47,26%
25,17%
15,53%
12,05%
PORTUGAL
61,54%
19,33%
9,11%
10,02%
UNITED KINGDOM
56,81%
23,26%
13,65%
6,28%
RUSSIA
49,23%
18,27%
18,63%
13,87%
SINGAPORE
41,74%
29,92%
15,26%
13,08%
SWEDEN
36,59%
29,50%
24,87%
9,05%
SWITZERLAND
62,50%
20,51%
12,30%
4,69%
Figure 7:
90%
80%
(Telefnica data)
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
> 6 days
3 - 6 days
1 - 3 days
< 1 day
20%
10%
A
NM
EM A R K
UN
IR
A
IT
ED T E S
ST
AT
ES
NE FR A
NC
TH
ER
E
LA
ND
S
IN
DI
A
IT
AL
Y
JA
PA
N
NO
RW
A
PO Y
LA
ND
UN P O
IT RT
ED U G
A
KI
NG L
DO
M
RU
S
SI
NG SIA
AP
OR
E
SW SW
E
DE
IT
ZE
N
RL
AN
D
IL
IN
ED
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AB
DE
AZ
BR
CH
IT
UN
M
IU
BE
LG
IN
RA
IA
GE
UD
AR
SA
NT
BI
0%
% Telephones
19 / 48
3. Detailed analysis
Table 6:
Country
< 1 day
1 -3 days
SAUDI ARABIA
46,18%
30,33%
14,71%
8,78%
ARGENTINA
59,55%
18,00%
12,65%
9,80%
BELGIUM
67,76%
16,38%
8,18%
7,68%
BRAZIL
53,55%
21,92%
14,85%
9,67%
CHINA
49,33%
31,84%
15,41%
3,42%
DENMARK
62,82%
19,10%
12,64%
5,44%
60,00%
23,17%
10,92%
5,92%
UNITED STATES
62,59%
17,47%
12,45%
7,48%
FRANCE
65,99%
20,15%
8,58%
5,29%
NETHERLANDS
54,65%
21,69%
17,86%
5,81%
INDIA
40,55%
28,89%
28,48%
2,08%
ITALY
52,83%
26,17%
14,07%
6,93%
JAPAN
46,07%
41,36%
10,45%
2,12%
NORWAY
60,81%
22,23%
12,82%
4,15%
POLAND
56,13%
22,45%
11,71%
9,71%
PORTUGAL
64,31%
18,04%
6,93%
10,72%
UNITED KINGDOM
60,70%
22,71%
10,85%
5,74%
RUSSIA
57,95%
22,23%
13,21%
6,60%
SINGAPORE
40,56%
36,19%
15,73%
7,52%
SWEDEN
54,36%
21,69%
12,60%
11,35%
SWITZERLAND
67,81%
17,16%
9,98%
5,05%
3 - 6 days
> 6 days
The countries with the highest percentages in the category of stays lasting
less than one day are Switzerland, Belgium and France. This category
accounts for 59% of total visitors.
Tourists from Japan, Singapore and China stand out in the set of stays lasting
1 to 3 days, which accounts for 22% of total visitors.
Those who stay between 3 and 6 days account for 15% of the total and
the countries with the highest percentages are India, the Netherlands and
Singapore.
7% of the total number of visitors spent more than 6 days visiting within the
two-week period analysed. Visitors from Sweden, Portugal and Argentina
stand out in this group as those who stay the longest.
100%
Figure 8:
90%
80%
(Telefnica data)
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
> 6 days
3 - 6 days
1 - 3 days
< 1 day
20%
10%
A
NM
EM A R K
UN
IR
A
IT
ED T E S
ST
AT
ES
NE FR A
NC
TH
ER
E
LA
ND
S
IN
DI
A
IT
AL
Y
JA
PA
N
NO
RW
A
PO Y
LA
ND
UN P O
IT RT
ED U G
A
KI
NG L
DO
M
RU
S
SI
NG SIA
AP
OR
E
SW SW
E
DE
IT
ZE
N
RL
AN
D
IL
IN
ED
AR
AB
DE
AZ
BR
CH
IT
UN
M
IU
BE
LG
IN
RA
IA
GE
UD
AR
SA
NT
BI
0%
% Telephones
20 / 48
3. Detailed analysis
Table 7:
We analysed the number of telephones that travelled between the two cities.
This gives us an idea of the mobility of tourists between them. In the table
below for example, B shows the telephone does not leave Barcelona and
B-M-B shows the telephone moved to Madrid and back to Barcelona.
Country
B M
B M B
SAUDI ARABIA
55,0 %
2,7 %
0,4 %
36,4 %
4,8 %
0,7 %
ARGENTINA
26,3 %
7,8 %
0,4 %
58,1 %
5,2 %
2,1 %
M B
M B M
BELGIUM
66,6 %
0,5 %
0,1 %
32,1 %
0,6 %
0,1 %
BRAZIL
28,5 %
6,3 %
0,4 %
54,9 %
7,6 %
2,4 %
CHINA
36,4 %
6,1 %
0,6 %
48,7 %
7,6 %
0,5 %
DENMARK
82,9 %
0,4 %
0,2 %
16,0 %
0,5 %
0,1 %
53,2 %
1,4 %
0,5 %
43,4 %
1,2 %
0,3 %
UNITED STATES
54,8 %
2,7 %
0,3 %
38,9 %
2,7 %
0,6 %
FRANCE
71,2 %
0,8 %
0,3 %
26,9 %
0,7 %
0,1 %
NETHERLANDS
74,6 %
0,5 %
0,1 %
24,1 %
0,6 %
0,1 %
INDIA
50,1 %
2,0 %
0,4 %
43,6 %
3,1 %
0,9 %
ITALY
65,2 %
0,9 %
0,4 %
32,7 %
0,8 %
0,1 %
JAPAN
52,2 %
11,5 %
0,5 %
25,0 %
10,3 %
0,7 %
NORWAY
79,1 %
0,6 %
0,1 %
19,6 %
0,4 %
0,1 %
POLAND
65,3 %
1,9 %
1,7 %
26,1 %
4,8 %
0,3 %
PORTUGAL
34,6 %
3,1 %
0,5 %
58,2 %
2,6 %
0,9 %
UNITED KINGDOM
71,6 %
0,7 %
0,1 %
26,8 %
0,7 %
0,1 %
RUSSIA
76,0 %
1,4 %
1,6 %
19,5 %
1,3 %
0,2 %
SINGAPORE
65,8 %
5,0 %
2,9 %
18,8 %
6,6 %
0,9 %
SWEDEN
73,8 %
0,5 %
0,2 %
25,2 %
0,3 %
0,0 %
SWITZERLAND
72,4 %
0,6 %
0,2 %
26,3 %
0,6 %
0,1 %
Out of the total number of mobile phones analysed, 66% stayed in Barcelona
while 31% stayed in Madrid. These figures are in line with those in the first
section Comparison of visitors between Barcelona and Madrid.
Therefore, 96% of tourists stay in the city they arrived at. So direct mobility
between the two cities does not appear to be very high, although they could
visit other cities not included in the study. Just 4% of the total number of
visitors visited both cities, Madrid and Barcelona.
There are exceptions when visitors are analysed by their country of origin.
Japanese, Brazilians and Argentinians are the tourists that had the greatest
tendency to visit both cities.
Danish, Norwegians and Russians stand out for their preference to visit
Barcelona instead of Madrid, while Portuguese, Argentinians and Brazilians
have a preference for Madrid far above the average.
21 / 48
3. Detailed analysis
22 / 48
3. Detailed analysis
3.4. Accommodation
3.4.1. Areas of the city
Based on credit card data we have found the areas in Madrid and Barcelona
where visitors stay.
Accommodation preferences by areas in Barcelona
Nou Barris
Grcia
Horta - Guinard
Sants - Montjuc
SAUDI ARABIA
79%
5%
5%
10%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
2%
ARGENTINA
18%
24%
21%
3%
1%
2%
0%
2%
0%
29%
BELGIUM
33%
18%
18%
3%
1%
1%
0%
0%
0%
24%
BRAZIL
16%
15%
36%
7%
5%
1%
1%
0%
0%
18%
CHINA
24%
27%
26%
3%
2%
3%
2%
3%
0%
11%
DENMARK
35%
16%
24%
2%
1%
2%
0%
0%
0%
20%
UNITED ARAB
EMIRATES
44%
20%
16%
4%
0%
2%
4%
0%
0%
10%
UNITED STATES
26%
39%
20%
3%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
10%
FRANCE
20%
13%
21%
3%
3%
1%
0%
0%
0%
38%
NETHERLANDS
32%
18%
21%
1%
1%
2%
2%
0%
0%
24%
INDIA
46%
21%
19%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
15%
ITALY
28%
21%
19%
4%
1%
3%
1%
0%
0%
23%
JAPAN
20%
48%
13%
6%
1%
0%
2%
2%
1%
8%
NORWAY
27%
30%
15%
2%
3%
1%
0%
0%
0%
22%
POLAND
29%
19%
20%
1%
0%
3%
3%
0%
0%
24%
Eixample
Les Corts
(BBVA data)
Sant Mart
Distribution of accommodation
by district in Barcelona
Pas
Ciutat Vella
Table 8:
BARCELONA PROVINCIA
In the city of Barcelona there are three districts that provide accommodation
for most visitors, Ciutat Vella (28%), Eixample (24%) and Sant Mart (21%). One
in four visitors sleep outside the city.
8%
20%
19%
1%
1%
1%
2%
0%
0%
48%
UNITED KINGDOM
32%
19%
25%
4%
1%
1%
0%
0%
0%
17%
RUSSIA
28%
23%
25%
3%
1%
1%
1%
0%
0%
17%
SINGAPORE
20%
40%
23%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
17%
SWEDEN
48%
16%
17%
2%
3%
0%
1%
0%
0%
14%
SWITZERLAND
37%
20%
23%
1%
1%
0%
0%
0%
0%
18%
TOTAL
28%
24%
21%
3%
1%
1%
1%
0%
0%
21%
PORTUGAL
23 / 48
3. Detailed analysis
% Porcentage
of overnight stays
30%
(BBVA data)
20%
10%
t ju
on
M
snt
Sa
-G
a
rt
Ho
rd
ui
er
tG
an
-S
i
Sa
rr
na
va
si
ia
c
Gr
rr
Ba
u
or
is
ts
No
sC
CI
Le
BA
RC
EL
ON
PR
nt
OV
IN
ar
M
e
pl
xa
Sa
Ci
ut
at
Ve
l
la
0%
Ei
Figure 9:
Most visitors from Saudi Arabia stay in Ciutat Vella, followed by almost half of
visitors from Sweden and India.
As far as Japanese are concerned, almost half of them stay in Eixample,
followed by the visitors from Singapore (40%) and the United States (39%).
The third district by number of overnight stays is Sant Mart, where 36% of
Brazilians and a quarter of Chinese and British stay.
Practically one in four visitors stays outside the city of Barcelona. The main
countries in this group are Portugal, France and Argentina.
24 / 48
3. Detailed analysis
MADRID PROVINCIA
Fuencarral-El Pardo
Villaverde
Tetun
Chamartn
Arganzuela
Carabanchel
Villa de Vallecas
Moncloa-Aravaca
Ciudad Lineal
Chamber
Salamanca
Pas
Retiro
San Blas
Table 9:
Centro
Barajas
In Madrid there is one predominant district, Centro, in the city centre, where
almost half (44%) of visitors to the city stay. The other half is very fragmented
among the rest of the districts.
Distribution of accommodation
by district in Madrid
SAUDI ARABIA
46%
8%
8% 12% 4%
4%
4% 0% 8% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 8%
ARGENTINA
55% 20%
4%
2% 4%
2%
2% 0% 0% 2% 2% 1% 0% 0% 0% 7%
BELGIUM
34% 18%
8%
8% 5%
3%
5% 2% 2% 2% 0% 1% 0% 0% 0% 12%
BRAZIL
4% 3%
5%
2% 4% 1% 1% 2% 0% 0% 0% 0%
CHINA
8%
5% 3% 3% 1% 0% 4% 0% 0% 0% 3%
DENMARK
47%
9%
5% 5%
2%
2% 4% 8% 0% 3% 0% 0% 1% 0%
5%
UNITED ARAB
EMIRATES
2% 5%
2%
7% 7% 5% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%
4%
5%
(BBVA data)
8%
9%
5%
UNITED STATES
52%
6%
4% 8%
6%
2% 2% 1% 3% 1% 0% 1% 0% 0%
FRANCE
8% 6%
3%
4% 3% 3% 0% 1% 1% 1% 0% 0% 11%
NETHERLANDS
6% 3%
4%
1% 1% 1% 1% 2% 1% 1% 0% 0% 9%
INDIA
24% 13%
9%
9% 2% 11% 16% 3% 3% 2% 0% 3% 3% 0% 0% 2%
ITALY
54% 10%
7%
6% 3%
6%
JAPAN
41% 16%
2%
5% 9%
5% 13% 3% 1% 2% 1% 1% 0% 0% 0% 2%
3% 2% 0% 1% 1% 1% 0% 0% 0% 7%
NORWAY
38%
5% 19%
1% 9%
8%
4% 4% 4% 0% 3% 0% 0% 1% 1%
POLAND
44%
6% 17% 13% 1%
2%
0% 0% 3% 1% 4% 0% 0% 0% 0% 8%
PORTUGAL
21%
4% 5%
4%
3% 0% 1% 1% 2% 1% 1% 1% 0% 14%
5%
7% 2% 2% 1% 1% 1% 0% 0% 0% 9%
RUSSIA
59%
9%
7%
5% 6%
3%
0% 0% 0% 2% 2% 1% 0% 0% 0% 7%
SINGAPORE
69%
0%
6%
0% 6%
0%
0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 6% 0% 0% 13%
SWEDEN
53%
8% 10%
2% 3%
6%
3% 5% 3% 1% 0% 1% 0% 0% 0% 8%
SWITZERLAND
6% 6%
6%
5% 2% 1% 1% 0% 1% 0% 0% 0%
TOTAL
6% 6%
5%
4% 2% 1% 1% 1% 1% 0% 0% 0% 8%
25 / 48
5%
3. Detailed analysis
% Porcentage
of overnight stays
Figure 10:
40%
(BBVA data)
30%
20%
10%
an
c
am a
u
M
o n da d b e r
cl
oa L in
V i - A ea l
lla r a
de va
Va ca
A r lle c
ga as
C a nzu
ra
e
ba la
nc
Ch h
am e l
ar
t
Te n
Fu
tu
en
c a V ill n
a
rr
a l ve r
- E de
lP
ar
do
m
la
AD
RI
Ci
Ch
Sa
Sa
Bl
as
CI
PR
OV
IN
ja
t ir
ra
Ba
Re
Ce
nt
ro
0%
Visitors from Singapore, Russia and Argentina have a greater preference for
the Centro area with percentages of 69%, 59% and 55% respectively.
Just 8% of visitors stayed outside of the city; this percentage is slightly higher
for visitors from Portugal, Singapore and Belgium.
Figure 11:
92%
79%
75%
(BBVA data)
50%
Barcelona
21%
25%
Madrid
Madrid
8%
92%
0%
79%
INSIDE
OUTSIDE
In Madrid practically all visitors stay inside the city (92%), while in Barcelona
the percentage of tourists who prefer accommodation outside of the city
rises to 21%.
21%
8%
INSIDE
OUTSIDE
26 / 48
3. Detailed analysis
As part of the study, we analysed the distance to the centre of the city from
the accommodation in which tourists stayed and we compared this between
the two cities by nationality.
Based on the use of foreign credit cards belonging to tourists, we identified
transactions in the accommodation category in which the location of the
business is logged. We observed 8,897 accommodation transactions in
Madrid and 11,423 accommodation transactions in Barcelona.
The distance to the city centre is measured in a straight line and the units
are kilometres. We consider the following to be the city centre of each of the
cities: Plaza de Catalua in Barcelona and Puerta del Sol in Madrid.
As a general rule, visitors from countries farther away such as Japan, China
and Brazil tend to stay closer to the city centre, while visitors from nearby
countries such as Portugal, France and Belgium choose accommodation
farther from the centre. One notable exception is visitors from Singapore and
the Middle East, who stayed far from the centre in Madrid but near the centre
in Barcelona.
Table 10:
Country
SAUDI ARABIA
Barcelona
Madrid
2,31
5,37
ARGENTINA
5,62
3,66
BELGIUM
6,27
5,53
BRAZIL
4,03
3,56
CHINA
3,31
4,15
DENMARK
4,79
4,43
2,79
5,6
UNITED STATES
4,07
3,47
FRANCE
8,02
5,85
NETHERLANDS
7,01
4,73
INDIA
3,22
4,2
ITALY
4,79
3,58
JAPAN
2,53
2,78
NORWAY
5,5
4,22
POLAND
5,33
5,2
PORTUGAL
7,48
6,44
UNITED KINGDOM
5,72
5,23
RUSSIA
4,75
3,68
SINGAPORE
2,76
6,87
SWEDEN
5,09
4,4
SWITZERLAND
5,03
4,08
27 / 48
3. Detailed analysis
Barcelona:
The total average distance that visitors stay from the city centre is 5.5
kilometres.
Visitors from Saudi Arabia, Japan and Singapore are those that stay closest to
the centre of Barcelona. French, Portuguese and Dutch visitors stay farthest
from the centre.
Madrid:
The total average distance that visitors stay from Madrid city centre is 4.5
kilometres.
Visitors from Japan, the United States and Brazil are those that stay closest
to the city centre. Visitors from Singapore, Portugal and France stay farthest
from the centre.
3.5. Spending
3.5.1. Cumulative average
spending by card throughout
the stay
Madrid
600
Figure 12:
400
300
200
161,5
100
Madrid
IL
ST
AT
ES
IT
AL
B
N E EL Y
TH GIU
M
ER
LA
ND
UN
FR S
IT
ED A N
C
KI
NG E
DO
PO M
LA
DE ND
NM
AR
AR
K
GE
NT
IN
NO A
RW
A
SW Y
ED
PO
E
RT N
UG
AL
AZ
BR
ED
IT
UN
DI
AN
IN
RL
IA
SS
RU
SW
IT
ZE
A
BI
AT
E
EM
IR
PA
N
RA
AB
JA
IA
UD
SA
UN
IT
ED
AR
E
OR
AP
NG
SI
79%
IN
92%
0
CH
Barcelona
500
OUTSIDE
28 / 48
3. Detailed analysis
There are significant differences by country of origin in this section with very
high amounts and very low amounts at both extremes.
The visitors who spend the most are those from Singapore, China and Japan,
in that order. Visitors from Switzerland, the highest-spending European
citizens, are also slightly above average. Visitors who spent the least money in
Spain were those from nearby countries such as Portugal and France, Nordic
countries such as Sweden and Denmark, and also a non-European country,
Argentina.
Comparison of average spending between Barcelona and Madrid
Table 11:
Country
Barcelona
Madrid
276,20
293,34
98,22
105,08
BELGIUM
121,43
122,19
BRAZIL
143,46
137,38
SAUDI ARABIA
ARGENTINA
CHINA
419,26
459,76
DENMARK
112,21
107,00
291,88
201,08
UNITED STATES
140,82
131,73
FRANCE
105,73
115,18
NETHERLANDS
107,41
117,45
INDIA
181,55
170,90
ITALY
122,01
125,50
JAPAN
298,39
299,25
NORWAY
139,40
101,30
POLAND
124,86
110,64
92,65
90,26
PORTUGAL
UNITED KINGDOM
116,25
114,60
RUSSIA
204,19
198,63
SINGAPORE
378,91
532,55
94,64
92,56
SWITZERLAND
161,73
182,26
152,68
174,37
SWEDEN
Average spending during the stay by tourists in Madrid is 14% higher than the
average amount spent in Barcelona (174.37 v 15.268).
There is a very significant difference in both cities between spending during the
week and spending at the weekend, with 25% higher expenditure during the
week. The fact that shops are closed on Sundays could be decisive in this.
The country ranking is similar in both cities with considerably higher
expenditure for visitors from countries in the Middle East and Far East.
29 / 48
3. Detailed analysis
Since the amount spent tends to build up the longer visitors stay, in this
section we have analysed the average daily spending on each card. This
allows us to determine which countries spend the most regardless of the
number of days they stay in Madrid or Barcelona.
Credit card data can be used to analyse the average spending by card and
day, broken down by nationality. This is the result of dividing total spending
by the number of days on which the card was active (the difference between
the date of the last transaction and the first one). In order to avoid distortion,
we have only taken into account cards used on more than one day.
Barcelona
Madrid
250
Figure 13:
150
100
58,5/day
50
Madrid
IL
IT
AL
NM Y
AR
K
NE NOR
TH
W
ER AY
L
A R A ND
GE
S
NT
IN
A
PO
L
PO AN
RT D
UG
A
SW L
ED
EN
AZ
DO
DE
NG
BR
CE
AN
FR
IT
ED
KI
DI
IN
UN
IU
LG
ST
AT
E
ED
IT
BE
IA
SS
AT
E
RU
IR
EM
AB
AR
UN
BI
AN
RL
RA
ZE
IA
UN
IT
ED
SW
IT
JA
UD
SA
IN
79%
OR
CH
AP
SI
NG
92%
PA
N
0
A
Barcelona
200
The average daily spending by each visitor in Spain is 58.5/day (dotted line).
21%
INSIDE
OUTSIDE
There are significant differences by country of origin in this section with very
high amounts and very low amounts at both extremes.
8%
The visitors who spent the most come from China, Singapore, Japan and the
Arabian Peninsula.
The visitors who spent the least money in Spain come from Nordic countries
such as Sweden and Denmark, neighbouring countries such as Portugal and
non-European countries such as Argentina.
30 / 48
3. Detailed analysis
Table 12:
Country
SAUDI ARABIA
Daily spending ()
Total spending ()
103,45
2,67
276,20
ARGENTINA
35,98
2,73
98,22
BELGIUM
54,45
2,23
121,43
BRAZIL
49,13
2,92
143,46
CHINA
199,65
2,10
419,26
35,29
3,18
112,21
118,17
2,47
291,88
DENMARK
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
UNITED STATES
66,74
2,11
140,82
FRANCE
53,13
1,99
105,73
42,12
2,55
107,41
109,37
1,66
181,55
NETHERLANDS
INDIA
60,70
2,01
122,01
143,46
2,08
298,39
NORWAY
44,11
3,16
139,40
POLAND
45,08
2,77
124,86
PORTUGAL
41,73
2,22
92,65
UNITED KINGDOM
53,57
2,17
116,25
ITALY
JAPAN
72,92
2,80
204,19
139,31
2,72
378,91
SWEDEN
32,19
2,94
94,64
SWITZERLAND
82,94
1,95
161,73
RUSSIA
SINGAPORE
The order of countries does not significantly change when the cities are
compared. Higher levels of spending are between 140 and 200 and the
lower range is around 35.
31 / 48
3. Detailed analysis
Table 13:
Country
Daily spending ()
113,70
2,58
ARGENTINA
45,89
2,29
105,08
BELGIUM
63,64
1,92
122,19
SAUDI ARABIA
Total spending ()
293,34
55,40
2,48
137,38
204,34
2,25
459,76
DENMARK
53,77
1,99
107,00
95,75
2,10
201,08
UNITED STATES
64,57
2,04
131,73
FRANCE
62,94
1,83
115,18
NETHERLANDS
50,19
2,34
117,45
INDIA
63,30
2,70
170,90
ITALY
54,80
2,29
125,50
JAPAN
139,84
2,14
299,25
NORWAY
51,42
1,97
101,30
POLAND
45,72
2,42
110,64
PORTUGAL
42,58
2,12
90,26
UNITED KINGDOM
55,63
2,06
114,60
BRAZIL
CHINA
90,29
2,20
198,63
195,07
2,73
532,55
SWEDEN
34,67
2,67
92,56
SWITZERLAND
100,7
1,81
182,26
RUSSIA
SINGAPORE
32 / 48
3. Detailed analysis
Credit card analysis also shows the total spending by each of them on
accommodation during the study period. This can also be broken down by city
and the visitors country of origin.
It is important to mention that average spending on accommodation alone
(298.7, see Figure 14) is far higher than total average spending (136.5, see
Figure 12). The same applies to average daily spending, as detailed in the
following point. This may initially seem to make no sense but the difference lies
in the number of transactions in each case. The total volume of transactions
amounts to more than 253,000, while the number of transactions on
accommodation alone is approximately 20,000. Hence, when total spending is
averaged out, it is diluted by low-volume transactions and therefore is lower
than average spending on accommodation.
Barcelona
Madrid
1000
Figure 14:
900
800
700
600
500
400
Barcelona
300
Madrid
298,71
200
92%
100
K
OR
E
ST
AT
ES
JA
PA
N
RU
SS
I
NO A
RW
UN
AY
IT P OL
ED
A
K I ND
NE NG
D
TH
ER O M
LA
ND
S
IT
AL
BE
Y
LG
IU
SW M
ED
EN
BR
A
PO
Z
RT IL
UG
A
FR L
AR AN
C
GE
E
NT
IN
A
AP
ED
IT
UN
AR
NM
NG
SI
AN
ZE
DE
RL
IN
CH
IT
SW
AT
E
IR
DI
UN
IT
ED
AR
SA
AB
UD
EM
IA
IN
RA
BI
79%
21%
INSIDE
OUTSIDE
33 / 48
3. Detailed analysis
Table 14:
Country
Barcelona
Madrid
Average spending () on
accommodation by card
throughout the study period
broken down by nationality and
city
SAUDI ARABIA
909,60
794,61
ARGENTINA
166,58
174,66
BELGIUM
286,88
228,31
BRAZIL
250,54
207,96
CHINA
394,41
372,82
DENMARK
(BBVA data)
327,84
340,94
561,17
460,18
UNITED STATES
333,38
302,30
FRANCE
182,50
175,56
NETHERLANDS
331,92
236,99
INDIA
600,43
474,39
ITALY
305,22
224,17
JAPAN
279,85
323,41
NORWAY
304,26
305,96
POLAND
330,09
234,90
PORTUGAL
180,90
179,84
UNITED KINGDOM
300,88
263,56
RUSSIA
343,47
263,13
SINGAPORE
429,78
252,86
SWEDEN
219,06
294,53
SWITZERLAND
362,82
367,87
311,43
280,16
34 / 48
3. Detailed analysis
Madrid
400
Figure 15:
Barcelona
350
300
250
200
150
Madrid
129
100
92%
50
79%
A
ST
AT
ES
JA
P
UN DE A N
N
IT
ED M A
R
KI
NG K
DO
NO M
SI RW
NG AY
AP
OR
E
IT
AL
BE
Y
LG
IU
M
RU
NE
SS
TH
IA
ER
LA
ND
PO S
LA
N
FR D
AN
C
SW E
ED
EN
BR
P O A ZI
RT L
A R UG
GE AL
NT
IN
A
IN
UN
IT
ED
CH
AN
RL
AT
E
IR
SW
IT
ZE
DI
UN
IT
ED
AR
SA
AB
UD
EM
IA
IN
RA
BI
21%
INSIDE
OUTSIDE
8%
Average daily spending on accommodation (price per night) by each visitor in
Spain during those two weeks is 129 (dotted red line).
Daily spending by nationalities follows a similar pattern to cumulative
spending. On the one hand, tourists from the Arabian Peninsula and India
spend the most on accommodation per day. On the other hand, Argentinians,
Portuguese and Brazilians spend the least on accommodation.
As far as the difference between cities is concerned, visitors from Denmark,
Norway and Sweden respectively spend an average of 66%, 61% and 48%
more in Madrid than in Barcelona. Tourists from India and Singapore spend
more in Barcelona: 106% and 71% more, respectively.
35 / 48
3. Detailed analysis
Table 15:
Country
SAUDI ARABIA
340,67
2,67
Total spending ()
909,60
61,02
2,73
166,58
128,65
2,23
286,88
BRAZIL
85,80
2,92
250,54
CHINA
187,81
2,10
394,41
DENMARK
103,09
3,18
327,84
227,19
2,47
561,17
UNITED STATES
158,00
2,11
333,38
91,71
1,99
182,50
NETHERLANDS
130,16
2,55
331,92
INDIA
361,70
1,66
600,43
ARGENTINA
BELGIUM
FRANCE
ITALY
151,85
2,01
305,22
JAPAN
134,54
2,08
279,85
NORWAY
96,28
3,16
304,26
POLAND
119,17
2,77
330,09
81,49
2,22
180,90
UNITED KINGDOM
138,65
2,17
300,88
RUSSIA
122,67
2,80
343,47
SINGAPORE
158,01
2,72
429,78
PORTUGAL
SWEDEN
SWITZERLAND
Table 16:
Country
SAUDI ARABIA
Daily spending ()
ARGENTINA
BELGIUM
BRAZIL
CHINA
DENMARK
74,51
2,94
219,06
186,06
1,95
362,82
Daily spending ()
Total spending ()
307,99
2,58
794,61
76,27
2,29
174,66
118,91
1,92
228,31
83,85
2,48
207,96
165,7
2,25
372,82
171,33
1,99
340,94
219,13
2,10
460,18
UNITED STATES
148,19
2,04
302,30
95,93
1,83
175,56
NETHERLANDS
101,28
2,34
236,99
INDIA
175,70
2,70
474,39
ITALY
97,89
2,29
224,17
FRANCE
JAPAN
151,13
2,14
323,41
NORWAY
155,31
1,97
305,96
POLAND
97,07
2,42
234,90
PORTUGAL
84,83
2,12
179,84
UNITED KINGDOM
127,94
2,06
263,56
RUSSIA
119,60
2,20
263,13
92,62
2,73
252,86
SWEDEN
110,31
2,67
294,53
SWITZERLAND
203,24
1,81
367,87
SINGAPORE
36 / 48
4. Specific
recommendations for
hotels
4.1. Introduction
37 / 48
Visitors from European countries mainly stay in 4-star hotels, except for
French and Portuguese visitors who stay in lower category hotels.
Brazil and Argentina are the only non-European countries that stay in 3-star
or lower accommodation.
Sweden is a surprise in that unlike the rest of Nordic countries they also stay
in 3-star accommodation together with the French and Portuguese.
4.3. Overall
recommendations
Barcelona province: France, Italy, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands
Madrid province: France, Italy, the United Kingdom and Portugal
For these countries it is considered necessary to carry out action to win
customers irrespective of the parameters analysed in the study.
Both French and Portuguese have a lower level of spending than other
countries. It is recommended to carry out action to win customers through
intermediaries or, in any case, in a very segmented manner to ensure
profitability, as they have greater capillarity and expenditure is 100% variable
for hotels.
There is great potential for growth in BRIC countries (Brazil, India, Russia
and China). Madrid seems to have the greatest potential for Brazilians and
Chinese, while Barcelona has the greatest potential for Russians. India is still
a tiny market for both cities. It is worth highlighting the purchasing power of
visitors from China, which are clearly luxury hotel customers.
There are very large differences in spending on accommodation for some
countries. Swedes and Japanese spend much more on accommodation in
Madrid than in Barcelona, while tourists from the Arabian Peninsula, India
and Italy spend much more in Barcelona.
38 / 48
39 / 48
40 / 48
41 / 48
Location
Most tourists in Madrid always stay in central hotels, especially those from
the Americas. A central hotel is not a determining factor in choosing a hotel
for citizens of the Arab Emirates and India.
Offers
The average stay by visitors in these hotels is 2 to 3 days; the Swiss stay the
shortest length of time and Indians have the longest average stay in Madrid.
Offers should be for a two-day stay with long-stay discounts from the third
night.
Implications for hotel services
There must be hotel staff who speak English, French, Japanese and Arabic.
Meals must be adapted and properly labelled for tourists of these
nationalities.
There is an opportunity to sell additional services to visitors from China,
Japan and the Arabian Peninsula whose average daily spending is very high
and who consume luxury products. Offering them related services (dinners in
luxury restaurants, reaching agreements with exclusive jewellers, etc.) could
constitute a new source of income.
42 / 48
43 / 48
5. Methodological note
5. Methodological note
5.1. Description of the
datasets
The datasets used in the study are described below, stating what they are
like, how they retained and their potential limitations. In both cases, the
datasets are limited to the geographical scope of the provinces of Madrid
and Barcelona and the period between 7 and 21 October 2012, both
inclusive.
Table 17:
Field
Description
AMOUNT
DATE
COUNTRY
CARD ID
POS terminal ID
CATEGORY
LATITUDE
LONGITUDE
44 / 48
5. Methodological note
One aspect to take into account is that credit or debit card payments are only
part of the total payments in the shop since approximately 50% of spending
in shops is carried out using cash. This percentage fluctuates depending on
the shops category and its surrounding area but also cultural biases inherent
to the users nationality. None of the results presented in this report is an
extrapolation used to deduce total spending by foreign tourists. In all cases,
the figures shown are those gathered by BBVAs electronic payment systems
and they should not be taken as absolute figures for spending through any
means of payment.
The dataset used in this study comes from records of certain network events
generated by telephones with a SIM card issued by operators outside of
Spain, which are roaming on Telefnica Mviles Espaas network. Examples
of these kinds of events include turning on the telephone, sending an SMS,
making a call or changing coverage area. When one of these events takes
place, it is logged together with the base station the telephone is connected
to and the time it took place. Since the exact location of each base station is
known, that gives an approximate idea of where the telephone is at that time.
Logs basically have the following format:
Table 18:
Field
Description
DATE
COUNTRY
TELEPHONE ID
CELL ID
LATITUDE
LONGITUDE
To comply with data protection regulations and ensure privacy, these logs
are anonymous since the real telephone number is replaced with a unique
identifier in a way that makes it impossible to carry out the process in reverse
(you cannot obtain the telephone number from the identifier). However,
furthermore, the logs are not used individually: they are always aggregated
in order to identify general behaviour (normally by nationality) and never
individually. As if that were not enough, the identity of the owners of roaming
telephones (those used in this study) is information that Telefnica Mviles
Espaa never possesses as they are not its own subscribers. In view of all this,
it is totally impossible to individually identify the owners of those telephones.
45 / 48
5. Methodological note
As with all datasets, there are certain limitations of which one needs to be
aware. The telephones location is not totally precise as what we have is
actually the base stations location. That is not too problematic in urban
environments as the density of base stations there is high enough to provide
reasonable precision; but it can be in rural areas. There may be another
limitation when extrapolating total data from the information obtained.
One specific example is that not all telephones used by Russian tourists who
visit Spain connect to Telefnicas network, which means that if one wants
to know the total number of Russian telephones then some extrapolation
is necessary that could introduce certain errors. In this report all of the
data presented are not extrapolated, so they cannot be taken as absolute.
However, we think that nevertheless they provide a pretty clear idea of the
situation.
5.2. Privacy
This report has been drawn up based on anonymised, aggregate data that
have then been extrapolated through a statistical process ensuring they
are completely disassociated pursuant to Spanish law (LOPD 15/1999 and its
developing regulations, RD 1720/2007, and Ley General de Telecomunicaciones
32/2003). This completely prevents the identification of any individual based
on the data used and so guarantees users privacy.
The data and recommendations described are based on the data gathered as
described in 5.1.1 and 5.1.2. Coefficients have not been used to extrapolate
all of the indicators in this report.
Data was processed subject to a responsible code of conduct by all parties
and processing was carried out solely in order to encourage progress in
transforming society and tourism.
46 / 48
6. ANNEX
6. Annex
6.1. List of tables
Table 1:
13
Table 2:
15
Table 3:
16
Table 4:
Average stays in Madrid depending on the day on which the visits start
and the total (Telefnica data)
17
Table 5:
19
Table 6:
20
Table 7:
Table 8:
23
Table 9:
25
Table 10:
27
Table 11:
Table 12:
Table 13:
32
Table 14:
34
Table 15:
36
Table 16:
36
Table 17:
44
Table 18:
45
47 / 48
6. ANNEX
14
Figure 2:
14
Figure 3:
14
Figure 4:
14
Figure 5:
18
Figure 6:
18
Figure 7:
19
Figure 8:
20
Figure 9:
24
Figure 10:
26
Figure 11:
Percentage of overnight stays inside and outside of the city (BBVA data)
26
Figure 12:
28
Figure 13:
Average daily spending by card broken down by country and city (BBVA
data)
30
Figure 14:
33
Figure 15:
35
48 / 48