SPANISH national tourism board Turespaña is running travel trade workshops in Shanghai and Beijing this week as a prelude to a new campaign for 2015 aimed at boosting the country’s reputation as a major European shopping destination.
China and Japan are two key longhaul markets that are being targeted in the Plan de Turismo de Compras 2015 that will kick-off with a specific shopping section at Fitur in Madrid in January.
Secretary of state for tourism, Isabel Borrego, said the public and private sectors will be collaborating in the campaign, which also intends to increase tourist spending and extend visitor flows throughout the year and around the country.
Other target markets include Russia, the US, Mexico, Brazil and the Persian Gulf countries.
The plan involves 18 specific measures including speeding up visa procedures and tax refunds for shopping.
The “attractive” plan was welcomed by Mar Sarda, founder and director of Madrid Shopping Tour, which acts as a platform for promoting commerce as part of tourism.
“The Fitur Shopping event will be the first of its kind in the world, and I will be among those promoting it in China this coming week to start stimulating interest in the Shopping Plan.”
