CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

FOR THE HOTEL INDUSTRY

BIG DATA AND

TOURISM:
NEW INDICATORS
FOR TOURISM
MANAGEMENT

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

Design and layout:

Hodei Ensunza
Maria Berga

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.

Purpose of the study

The problem of data for the tourist industry
Strengths for the tourism industry of using Big Data

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.

Comparison of visitors between Barcelona and Madrid

14

Length of stay

15

3.2.1

Average stay

15

3.2.2.

Average stay in Barcelona

16

3.2.3.

Average stay in Madrid

17

3.2.4.

Comparison between the average stays in Barcelona and Madrid

18

3.2.5.

Distribution of nationalities by length of stay

18

Travel between Madrid and Barcelona

Accommodation

21
23

3.4.1.

Areas of the city

23

3.4.2.

Distances from the city centre

27

Spending

28

3.5.1.

Cumulative average spending by card throughout the stay

28

3.5.2.

Average daily spending

30

3.5.3.

Cumulative average spending on accommodation by card during

33

the stay

3.5.4.

Average daily spending on accommodation

35

Introduction
Spending-based hotel category methodology
Overall recommendations
Specific action for hotels in Barcelona

37
37
37
38
39

4.4.1.

5-star hotels in Barcelona (total daily price of more than 140)

39

4.4.2.

4-star hotels in Barcelona (total daily price between 100 and 140)

40

4.4.3.

3-star hotels in Barcelona (total daily price less than 100)

40

Specific action for hotels in Madrid

41

4.5.1.

5-star hotels in Madrid (total daily price of more than 140)

41

4.5.2.

4-star hotels in Madrid (total daily price between 100 and 140)

42

4.5.3.

3-star hotels in Madrid (total daily price less than 100)

43

5. Methodological note
5.1.

Description of the datasets

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

Big Data and Tourism is a study produced by Telefnica and RocaSalvatella,

which provides a new methodology for improved analysis and knowledge of
the Spanish tourism industry.
The purpose of the study is to make use of the opportunities for the sector,
in particular the hotel industry, of incorporating macrodata collected
from the electronic activity of anonymous foreign tourists into their
market research.
Analysis of the vast amount of data produced by digital activity opens up a
wide range of opportunities for companies to enhance the services they
offer and the management of their business. This study is a first step in
understanding the possibilities of Big Data. In this specific case, we are
looking to contribute and add value to what is a key sector for the Spanish
economy. However, it can be replicated in another economic and social
sectors.

The document has been able

to gather together and crossreference data from two
different companies: Telefnica
Mviles Espaa and BBVA

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.

Conclusions based on actual

activity not on surveys or
stated intentions

Previous studies on tourism in Spain have mostly been based on surveys or

interviews with experts carried out by the Ministry of Industry, Energy and
Tourism, the main public organisation, or by private companies. This means
that, generally speaking, the industry does not have real data about
tourists and can only take samples from the population as a whole.

4 / 48

1. Executive summary

In contrast, the innovative approach achieved through this study is to

introduce data based on real actions by users and not on surveys. In other
words, real actions have been analysed instead of stated intentions or
answers to questions.
This incorporates a type of information that increases knowledge of the
industrys target market produced by the tourists themselves (their
mobile phone connecting to the telecom network and their bank card
connecting to the POS terminal) into a tourism sector study.

A methodology that guarantees

users privacy

The conclusions drawn have been generated from 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 Ley 32/2003). This completely prevents the
identification of any individual based on the data used and so guarantees
users privacy.

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:

Visitors main country of origin

The country of origin of tourists who opt for Madrid and those who opt for
Barcelona
Length of stay by country of origin
Journeys between the two destinations, Barcelona and Madrid
Days and areas where foreign visitors prefer to stay
Average daily spending and cumulative spending throughout the entire stay.
The main conclusions drawn concerning each of the variables analysed are
set out below. Although the report doesnt deal with absolute numbers, it
could help to gain a further insight on key points:
Visitors countries of origin
The main tourists who visit Barcelona and Madrid are French, Italian and
British. These three nationalities made up 50% of the total number of visitors
during the analysed period.
It is not until the ninth position that we find a non-European country, the
United States, with a volume of around 4% of total visitors.
In terms of preference between the two cities, Argentinians, Brazilians and
Portuguese prioritise Madrid while visitors from Nordic countries choose
Barcelona.

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

Main recommendations for the hotel industry:

Based on the conclusions drawn from data analysis, the study ends with a
series of tactical and strategic recommendations for hotel managers.
These recommendations focus on:

Winning more customers and pinpointing the countries on which it is

recommended to focus marketing

Detecting areas of the city in which commercial transactions are carried out,
Specially, those referring to accommodation.

Ensuring you provide an attractive product suited to customers true needs

(ideal length of package offers, information about complementary services
demanded by nationalities, etc.)
Obviously, any decision in this area should be based on more in-depth
analysis covering a longer timeframe, which would make it possible to show
seasonal and annual variations. The recommendations include a sample
of the kinds of applications that using these data sources could have in a
new business intelligence model in the industry.
France, Italy, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Portugal: win these
customers in their countries of origin.
Due to the volume of tourists they provide, it is necessary to work to win
customers in the following countries: France, Italy, the United Kingdom, the
Netherlands and Portugal.
When one analyses spending by people from these countries, both French and
Portuguese have a lower level of spending than people from other countries.
Therefore, 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.
Bear in mind that 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.
Finally, it is worth highlighting the purchasing power of visitors from China,
which are clearly luxury hotel customers.

Specific recommendations for

hotels in Barcelona

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

In order to adapt to tourists real needs, depending on their nationality, a

central hotel should expect more visitors from Japan and countries in the
Arabian Peninsula. In contrast, French, Portuguese and Argentinian visitors
prefer to stay far from the centre at low prices.
It is relevant to know cumulative spending by nationality and which tourists
there are opportunities to sell products or services to nearby the hotel. For
example, visitors from China, Russia and Japan spend a considerable amount
in fashion shops and consume luxury products in Barcelona. These services
may be a new source of income.

Specific recommendations for

hotels in Madrid

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

2.1. Purpose of the study

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:

2.2. The problem of data

for the tourist industry

Visitors: how many come and where do they come from

Length of stay: average time by nationality
Travel between the two cities
Preferred hotels
Spending levels: overall and on accommodation

Previous studies on tourism in Spain have mostly been based on surveys or

interviews with experts carried out by the Ministry of Industry, Energy and
Tourism, the main public organisation, or by private companies.
One option for classifying these studies is to group them by the methodology
used to gather data or the data source on the understanding that studies
produced for the tourism industry come from data from regular samples that
are non-granular in space and time.

10 / 48

2. Introduction

First of all, studies could be classified by the data gathering methodology:

Surveys: available reports include Tourist Border Movements (FRONTUR),

Tourist Spending Surveys (EGATUR) and Spanish Tourist Movement
(FAMILITUR), etc.
Interviews with industry experts using the Delphi method.
Search engine trends: the Google Insight for Search tool currently offers a
service showing the volume of most repeated searches by countries and dates.
Studies could also be classified by source gathering data or by the organisation
gathering that data together:

INE: Spanish Statistics Institute

Eurostat: the European statistics office
IET: Institute of Tourism Studies
AENA: Spanish Airports and Air Navigation.
RENFE (railway company)
Spanish Port Authorities
General and specialised consulting firms
Banks
Search engines
Apart from search engines, AENA, RENFE, Port Authorities and banks,
organisations that gather data use survey or interview methods, so they do not
have real data from tourists and can only take samples from the population as
a whole.
In some cases, such as FRONTUR, they estimate results from administrative
records kept by the Directorate-General of Traffic. This available administrative
information shows the number of vehicles that cross the border, so it is
necessary to estimate how many people are in each vehicle in order to convert
the number of vehicles into the number of people.
In other cases, companies such as AENA, RENFE and Port Authorities have
exact data about passengers who come to Spain by air, land or sea in their
databases. Although they are exact data, this information is only part of what
the tourism industry needs and must be cross-referenced against data on
tourists behaviour once they are in the country.
As far as search engines are concerned, the information they extract is based
on searches made by visitors before they arrive in the country. Although
increasing attention should be given to this new source of prediction, it does
not explain visitors behaviour during their stay in Spain.

11 / 48

2. Introduction

2.3. Strengths for the

tourism industry of using
Big Data

The innovative approach taken in producing this report has a set of

advantages over traditional methodologies. These are as follows:

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.

Representativeness: adding all of the information sources together, it can be

stated that the sample size contains the following:

BBVA data: 15% of all transactions are carried out with cards belonging
to foreigners in the province of Madrid. 14% for the province of Barcelona.
In both cases, these percentages depend on the area of the province being
studied.
Telefnica data: approximately one third of telephones whose SIM comes
from foreign operators end up registering on Telefnica Espaas network.
That increases the sample base on which conventional research tends to be
based by several orders of magnitude.

Information detail and segmentation capacity: the degree of space/time

focus and the ability to describe places and the people who visit them is
radically changed due to the sample size and its reliability.

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.

New information flows: a type of information that increases knowledge

of the industrys target market produced by the tourists themselves (their
mobile phone connecting to the telecom network and their bank card
connecting to the POS terminal) is incorporated into a tourism sector study.

Possibility of new business opportunities: the results of this analysis can

be contrasted with internal data from each tourism company to determine
whether the supply on offer in each area of the city is in tune with the tourists
who visit it.

12 / 48

3. Detailed analysis

3. Detailed
analysis
3.1. Visitors

By analysing the number of active telephones, by country, during the study

period, conclusions can be drawn about the main countries of origin of
tourists who visit us and their preferred destination, Madrid or Barcelona.
This list of 21 countries used throughout the report is not a continuous
ranking. Nationalities have been left out that were among the top 21 so as to
avoid redundant conclusions. Instead we gave room to other places of origin
that are representative of important supranational areas (Persian Gulf, South
America, etc.)

Table 1:

Unique telephones registered

(Telefnica data)

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%

3.1.1. Comparison of visitors

between Barcelona and
Madrid

Two out of three visitors choose Barcelona (67%) as a destination and one in
three choose Madrid (33%).

67%67%

33%33%

Figure 2:

Distribution of visitors between

Barcelona and Madrid

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:

City preference, Barcelona over

Madrid

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
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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
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UD PA
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IR
AT
ES
IN
DI
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CH
P O IN
RT A
UG
AL
BR
AR A Z
GE IL
NT
IN
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(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

ED

AP

FR
IT

UN

ND
NG

IU

LA

PO

SI

BE

LG

IT
AL
Y

AT
E
ST S
SA
A
UD TE
IA S
RA
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CH

IL
AZ

UG

RT

PO

BR

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0%
NT

(Telefnica data)

50%

GE

City preference, Madrid over

Barcelona

AR

Figure 4:

3. Detailed analysis

3.2. Length of stay

3.2.1. Average stay

Table 2:

Average stay
(Telefnica data)

Analysis of the number of active telephones by country during the study

period shows the average length of time that visitors stay in Spain. There are
significant differences between the length of visits to Madrid and Barcelona
by different nationalities.
Country

Average Total Stay

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

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

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

TOTAL WEIGHTED AVERAGE

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

3.2.2. Average stay in

Barcelona

Table 3:

Average stays in Barcelona

depending on the day on which
the visits start and the total
(Telefnica data)

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

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

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

3.2.3. Average stay in Madrid

Table 4:

Average stays in Madrid

depending on the day on which
the visits start and the total
(Telefnica data)

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

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

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

3.2.4. Comparison between

average stays in Barcelona
and Madrid
2,28 days

Figure 5:

Average stay in days in

Barcelona and Madrid

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

Another way of analysing stays by nationality is to show its distribution

according to certain ranges of length of stay, which gives us more significant
information than just the average stay figure.
7%
7%

Figure 6:

14%
14%
<<11day
day

Overall distribution of length

of stay

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%

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

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%

The countries with greatest representation in the category of stays lasting

less than one day are India, France and Switzerland. This category represents
55% of total visitors.
Tourists who stay between 1 and 3 days account for 23% of total visitors.
Chinese, Japanese and Brazilians stand out here.
Those who stay between 3 and 6 days account for 15% of the total and the
tourists with the highest percentages come from Nordic countries.
Just 6% of the total number of visitors spent more than 6 days visiting within
the two-week period analysed. Visitors from Russia, Singapore and Poland
stand out in this group as those who stay the longest.
100%

Figure 7:

90%

Distribution by days spent in

Barcelona

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

19 / 48

3. Detailed analysis

Table 6:

Percentage distribution of the

number of telephones in Madrid
according to four stay length
ranges
(Telefnica data)

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%

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

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%

Distribution by days spent in

Madrid

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

3.3. Travel between

Madrid and Barcelona

Table 7:

Travel between cities

(B-Barcelona, M-Madrid)
expressed in percentages.
For example, B shows the
telephone does not leave
Barcelona and B-M-B shows the
telephone moved to Madrid and
back to Barcelona
(Telefnica data)

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 %

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

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

As far as travel between cities is concerned, 1.3% of tourists who arrive at

Barcelona end up visiting Madrid. The same happens in reverse, 1.3% of
visitors who initially arrive at Madrid end their trip in Barcelona.
Japanese, Argentinian and Brazilian tourists stand out as having a far higher
tendency than the rest to visit Madrid once they are in Barcelona.
As far as travel from Madrid to Barcelona is concerned, Japanese, Chinese
and Brazilians stand out as being far above the average.
There is a small percentage of visitors, around 4%, who travel between the
two cities more than once.

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

Sarri - Sant Gervasi

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

Percentage of overnight stays

by district in Barcelona

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

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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

Accommodation preferences by areas in Madrid

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

45% 15% 11%

4% 3%

5%

2% 4% 1% 1% 2% 0% 0% 0% 0%

CHINA

40% 10% 12% 10% 2%

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

27% 13% 27%

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

34% 11% 13%

8% 6%

3%

4% 3% 3% 0% 1% 1% 1% 0% 0% 11%

NETHERLANDS

45% 14% 10%

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%

9% 16% 13% 9% 10%

UNITED KINGDOM 37% 13% 12%

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

46% 10% 11%

6% 6%

6%

5% 2% 1% 1% 0% 1% 0% 0% 0%

TOTAL

44% 11% 10%

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:

Percentage of overnight stays

by district in Madrid

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.

Comparison between Barcelona and Madrid in terms of overnight stays

inside and outside of the city
Barcelona
100%

Figure 11:

92%
79%

Percentage of overnight stays

inside and outside of the city

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

3.4.2. Distances from the city

centre

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:

Distance (km) from

accommodation to the city
centre: Plaza de Catalua and
Puerta del Sol
(BBVA data)

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

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

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

Another interesting point to analyse is tourists spending during their stay.

This allows us to detect spending patterns by nationality in each city and
estimate the hotel category they stay in based on the amount they spend on
accommodation.
Foreign credit cards belonging to tourists show us the total amount spent by
each of them during the study period. Therefore, it is the amount spent by
card, i.e. the family unit, not the individual tourist. It can also be broken
down by city visited and the visitors country of origin.
Barcelona

Madrid

600

Figure 12:

Average overall spending by

card throughout the study
period by country and city
(BBVA data)

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
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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

The average cumulative card expenditure by each visitor in Spain during

those two weeks was 161.5 (dotted red line).
21%
8%
INSIDE

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:

Average spending () by card

during the stay broken down by
nationality and city
(BBVA data)

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

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

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

WEIGHTED AVERAGE SPENDING

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

3.5.2. Average daily spending

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:

Average daily spending by card

broken down by country and
city
(BBVA data)

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

Average daily spending in

Barcelona by card broken down
by nationality

SAUDI ARABIA

(BBVA and Telefnica data)

Daily spending ()

Average stay (days)

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:

Average daily spending by

card in Madrid broken down by
nationality
(BBVA and Telefnica data)

Country

Daily spending ()

Average stay (days)

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

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

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

Although the order of countries is distributed similarly there is slightly higher

spending by tourists in Madrid. The upper range is between 140 and 205 and
the lower range is from 35 to 45.

32 / 48

3. Detailed analysis

3.5.3. Cumulative average

spending on accommodation
by card during the stay

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

Average spending by card on

accommodation during the
study period by country and city
(Telefnica data and BBVA)

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

Average total spending on accommodation on each of the visitors credit cards

8%
in Spain during those two weeks was 298.71 (dotted red line).
As one might expect, there is polarisation here too. There are two main groups
for average spending on accommodation. The group of countries from the
Middle East and India spend practically twice as much on accommodation as
the rest of countries. This could be explained by the fact that the groups or
family units who visit us are larger so the cost is higher.
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.

33 / 48

3. Detailed analysis

Comparison of average spending on accommodation between Barcelona

and Madrid
The ranking of spending by countries is different in Madrid and Barcelona; in
addition, the absolute value of spending in Barcelona is considerably lower
than in Madrid (around 20%). Part of this additional expenditure could be due
to the visitors staying slightly 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.

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

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

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

AVERAGE SPENDING ON ACCOMMODATION

311,43

280,16

34 / 48

3. Detailed analysis

3.5.4. Average daily spending

on accommodation

If one divides total spending on accommodation by visitors from each country

by the average stay, that gives the average daily spending on accommodation
by country. This figure is very useful in determining visitors hotel category
preferences for each country.
Average daily spending by card on accommodation by country and city
(price per night)
Barcelona

Madrid

400

Figure 15:

Average daily spending by card

on accommodation by country
and city
(Telefnica data and BBVA)

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

Average daily spending on

accommodation in Barcelona
by card broken down by
nationality

SAUDI ARABIA

(BBVA and Telefnica data)

Average stay (days)

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

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

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

Average daily spending on

accommodation in Madrid
broken down by nationality

SAUDI ARABIA

(BBVA and Telefnica data)

Daily spending ()

ARGENTINA
BELGIUM
BRAZIL
CHINA
DENMARK

74,51

2,94

219,06

186,06

1,95

362,82

Daily spending ()

Average stay (days)

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

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

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. Specific
recommendations for
hotels

4.1. Introduction

We conclude the study with a series of tactical and strategic

recommendations for hotel managers, divided into accommodation
category and specific management action.

Winning customers: countries of origin on which to focus marketing work,

recommendations concerning channels and communication languages in
countries of origin and at the destination.

Location/expansion: areas of interest by nationality

Product configuration: the ideal package length, information about

complementary services demanded by different nationalities.
Obviously, any decision-making should be based on more in-depth analysis
covering a longer timeframe, which would make it possible to show seasonal
and annual variations. Recommendations are included as a sample of the
kind of applications that using these data sources could have in a new
business intelligence model in the industry.

4.2. Spending-based hotel

category methodology

We used the average daily spending by nationality to select the hotel

category based on these data in the above tables. In this case, we propose
the following hotel categories based on an average daily rate (ADR):
5-star hotel: ADR more than 140
4-star hotel: ADR between 100 and 140
3-star hotel: ADR less than 100
This categorisation allows us to link hotel categories with each country. For
example, Belgians average spending in Barcelona is 128.65, which would
mean a 4-star hotel, while Swiss average spending of 203.24 in Madrid would
mean a 5-star hotel.
So, based on the above hotel categorisation, using average spending or ADR
to do so, the following can be concluded:
Visitors from non-European countries and non-Latin American countries
mostly stay in 5-star hotels. Apart from Switzerland, which is also in the
5-star list.

37 / 48

4. Specific recommendations for hotels

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

The main visitor countries in terms of tourist numbers are as follows:

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

4. Specific recommendations for hotels

4.4. Specific action for

hotels in Barcelona
4.4.1. 5-star hotels in
Barcelona (total daily price of
more than 140)

Action to win customers

SEM / SEO campaigns:

All hotels: Italy, Switzerland, the United States, China, Arab

Emirates, India, Saudi Arabia and Singapore. Baidu campaign for
China.

Central hotels only: Switzerland, China, India.
Luxury websites or intermediaries specifically for Switzerland and the
United States and using intermediaries operating in all of the aforementioned
countries
Languages the website should be translated into: Spanish, English, German,
French, Italian.
Location
Tourists from the Arabian Peninsula and India look for a central location
in Ciutat Vella and those from the United States and Singapore also stay in
central locations but in Eixample. Location is not a determining factor for
Chinese, Italians and Swiss.
Offers
The average stay for visitors in these hotels is 2 to 3 days. Offers should be
made for that length of stay with long-stay discounts from the fourth night.
Implications for hotel services
There must be hotel staff who speak English, German, Italian, Dutch, French,
Mandarin and Arabic.
Meals must be adapted and properly labelled for tourists of these
nationalities.
There is an opportunity to sell additional products and services to
visitors from China 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.

39 / 48

4. Specific recommendations for hotels

4.4.2. 4-star hotels in

Barcelona (total daily price
between 100 and 140)

Action to win customers

SEM / SEO campaigns:

Spain, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands,

Denmark, Russia, Poland and Japan.
Due to the low volume of spending by French people during their
stay, for France we recommend daily budget control of campaigns so
that the ROI is positive.
Yandex and Google campaign for Russia.

Luxury websites or intermediaries specifically for Nordic countries as well

as using intermediaries operating in all of the aforementioned countries.

Languages the website should be translated into: Spanish, English, German,

French, Russian, Italian, Dutch and Japanese.
Location
Customers from these countries are mainly spread among hotels in Ciutat
Vella, Eixample, Sant Mart and the outskirts. Japanese are an exception; half
of them stay in Eixample.
Offers
2- to 3-day offers should be made for all countries.
Implications for hotel services
Staff in these hotels must be able to speak Spanish, English, French, Russian,
German and Japanese.
There is an opportunity for the hotel to sell additional products or services
to Russian visitors and also to Japanese visitors who spend considerable
amounts in fashion shops in Barcelona. Offering them related services
(personal shoppers, organised trips to shops, etc.) could constitute a new
source of income.

4.4.3. 3-star hotels in

Barcelona (total daily price
less than 100)

Action to win customers

SEM / SEO campaigns:

Spain, France, Sweden, Norway, Portugal, Brazil and Argentina.

Due to the low volume of spending by French people during their
stay, for France we recommend daily budget control of campaigns so
that the ROI is positive.

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4. Specific recommendations for hotels

Luxury websites or intermediaries specifically for Nordic countries as well

as using intermediaries operating in all of the aforementioned countries.
Since price is a decisive aspect, it is important to be present in all of the massmarket intermediaries used to search for offers and affordable prices
Languages the website should be translated into: Spanish, English, German,
French and Portuguese.
Location
Tourists do not generally stay in central hotels (due to the price).
Offers
2- to 3-day offers should be made for all countries. Offers for the French
should be more like 2 days and 3 days for Norwegians.
Implications for hotel services
Staff in these hotels should speak Spanish, English, French and Portuguese.
Spending on additional services by these customers is not particularly high
so no specific action should be taken.

4.5. Specific action for

hotels in Madrid
4.5.1. 5-star hotels in Madrid
(total daily price of more than
140)

Action to win customers

SEM / SEO campaigns:

All hotels: United States, Switzerland, China, Japan, Norway,

Denmark, India, Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. Baidu campaign for
China.
Luxury websites or intermediaries specifically for Switzerland, the United

States and Nordic countries, as well as using intermediaries operating in all of

the aforementioned countries.
Languages the website should be translated into: Spanish, English, French
and Japanese.

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4. Specific recommendations for hotels

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.

4.5.2. 4-star hotels in Madrid

(total daily price between
100 and 140)

Action to win customers

SEM / SEO campaigns:

All hotels: United Kingdom, Netherlands, Belgium, Russia, Sweden and
Russia.
Nordic luxury websites or intermediaries as well as using intermediaries
operating in all of the aforementioned countries.
Languages the website should be translated into: Spanish, English, German,
French, Dutch and Russian.
Location
Tourists in Madrid almost always stay in central hotels, especially Russians.
Offers
The average stay for visitors in these hotels is 2 days. Offers should be for a
two-day stay with long-stay discounts from the third night.

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4. Specific recommendations for hotels

Implications for hotel services

There must be hotel staff who speak English, French, German, Dutch and
Russian.
Meals must be adapted and properly labelled for tourists of these
nationalities.
There is an opportunity to sell additional products or services to visitors from
Russia 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.

4.5.3. 3-star hotels in Madrid

(total daily price less than
100)

Action to win customers

SEM / SEO campaigns:

Spain, France (cost control), Italy, Portugal, Poland, Brazil,

Argentina and Singapore.

Since price is a decisive aspect, it is important to be present in all of the

mass-market intermediaries used to search for offers and affordable prices. It

is especially recommended to give particular emphasis to intermediaries for
France, Portugal and Brazil.
Languages the website should be translated into: Spanish, English, German,
French, Portuguese and Italian.
Location
Tourists have a preference for the Centro area in the city centre in Madrid.
Offers
2-day offers should be made for all countries with the possibility of 3 days for
tourists from Singapore.
Implications for hotel services
Staff in these hotels must speak Spanish, English, French, Italian and
Portuguese.
Spending on additional services by these customers is not particularly high
so no specific action should be taken.

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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.

5.1.1. BBVA dataset

The dataset is based on the data gathered by BBVAs electronic payment

systems: transactions carried out by users of credit or debit cards issued
by foreign card issuers (foreign customers) in shops that use BBVA POS
terminals.
In order to distinguish foreign tourists from expatriates living in Spain we only
included foreign cards in the dataset that performed transactions between
7 and 21 October 2012 and that remained in the country for a period of less
than 15 days throughout 2012.
The POS terminals covered by this report are those located in the provinces
of Madrid and Barcelona.
The studys conclusions are directly based on the data gathered by BBVAs
electronic payment systems. We have not applied coefficients to deduce all of
the payments made by other means.
These data are completely anonymous. We have worked with data
aggregated in time and space after duly eliminating information about
individuals and legal persons through irreversible processes to guarantee
users privacy pursuant to the Organic Law on Personal Data protection (Ley
Orgnica de Proteccin de Datos Personales 15/1999) and its regulations (RD
1720/2007). Information from card transactions in shops and cash machines
in the city was used for statistical purposes only. Under no circumstances can
this analysis be used to trace individual peoples behaviour.

Table 17:

Fields and descriptions of

BBVAs dataset

Field

Description

AMOUNT

Amount of the transaction in

DATE

Date and time the payment was made

COUNTRY

Country of the credit or debit card issuer

CARD ID

The cards ID.

This is never the same as the cards real number

POS terminal ID

ID of the Point of Sale terminal in

the shop where the purchase is made

CATEGORY

The shops commercial category

LATITUDE

The shops latitude

LONGITUDE

The shops longitude

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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.

5.1.2. Telefnicas dataset

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

Fields and descriptions of

Telefnicas dataset

DATE

Date and time the event took place

COUNTRY

Country of the operator that issued the telephones SIM card

TELEPHONE ID

The telephones ID.

Under no circumstances is it the telephones real number

CELL ID

The ID of the base station the telephone was

connected to when the event took place

LATITUDE

Latitude of the base stations position

LONGITUDE

Longitude of the base stations position

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.

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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.

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6. ANNEX

6. Annex
6.1. List of tables
Table 1:

Unique telephones registered (Telefnica data)

13

Table 2:

Average stay (Telefnica data)

15

Table 3:

Average stays in Barcelona depending on the day on which the visits

start and the total (Telefnica data)

16

Table 4:

Average stays in Madrid depending on the day on which the visits start
and the total (Telefnica data)

17

Table 5:

Percentage distribution of the number of telephones in Barcelona

according to four stay length ranges (Telefnica data)

19

Table 6:

Percentage distribution of the number of telephones in Madrid

according to four stay length ranges (Telefnica data)

20

Table 7:

Travel between cities (B-Barcelona, M-Madrid) expressed in

21
percentages. For example, B shows the telephone does not leave
Barcelona and B-M-B shows the telephone moved to Madrid and back to
Barcelona (Telefnica data)

Table 8:

Distribution of accommodation by district in Barcelona (BBVA data)

23

Table 9:

Distribution of accommodation by district in Madrid (BBVA data)

25

Table 10:

Distance (km) from accommodation to the city centre: Plaza de

Catalua and Puerta del Sol (BBVA data)

27

Table 11:

Average spending () by card during the stay broken down by nationality 29

and city (BBVA data)

Table 12:

Average daily spending in Barcelona by card broken down by nationality 31

(BBVA and Telefnica data)

Table 13:

Average daily spending by card in Madrid broken down by nationality

(BBVA and Telefnica data)

32

Table 14:

Average spending () on accommodation by card throughout the study

period broken down by nationality and city (BBVA data)

34

Table 15:

Average daily spending on accommodation in Barcelona by card broken

down by nationality (BBVA and Telefnica data)

36

Table 16:

Average daily spending on accommodation in Madrid broken down by

nationality (BBVA and Telefnica data)

36

Table 17:

Fields and descriptions of BBVAs dataset

44

Table 18:

Fields and descriptions of Telefnicas dataset

45

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6. ANNEX

6.2. List of figures

Figure 1:

Distribution of visitors by country (Telefnica data)

14

Figure 2:

Distribution of visitors between Barcelona and Madrid (Telefnica data)

14

Figure 3:

City preference, Barcelona over Madrid (Telefnica data)

14

Figure 4:

City preference, Madrid over Barcelona (Telefnica data)

14

Figure 5:

Average stay in days in Barcelona and Madrid (Telefnica data)

18

Figure 6:

Overall distribution of length of stay (Telefnica data)

18

Figure 7:

Distribution by days spent in Barcelona (Telefnica data)

19

Figure 8:

Distribution by days spent in Madrid (Telefnica data)

20

Figure 9:

Percentage of overnight stays by district in Barcelona (BBVA data)

24

Figure 10:

Percentage of overnight stays by district in Madrid (BBVA data)

26

Figure 11:

Percentage of overnight stays inside and outside of the city (BBVA data)

26

Figure 12:

Average overall spending by card throughout the study period by

country and city (BBVA data)

28

Figure 13:

Average daily spending by card broken down by country and city (BBVA
data)

30

Figure 14:

Average spending by card on accommodation during the study period

by country and city (Telefnica data and BBVA)

33

Figure 15:

Average daily spending by card on accommodation by country and city

(Telefnica data and BBVA)

35

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