Luxury shopping, a tourist attraction to which Seville should aspire

In recent years, luxury shopping tourism has established itself as a growing sector with numerous possibilities yet to be exploited.

Experts participated in the meeting “Sevilla en Clave de Futuro” (Seville in the Key to the Future).

Seville accounts for only 1% of shopping tourism spending in Spain, far behind the figures for Madrid or Barcelona and also far below other cities of similar size such as Florence. What can be done for Seville’s capital to grow in this sector and attract tourists with a high purchasing power? Such is the question asked at a new meeting of “Sevilla en Clave de Futuro”, organized by the Cajasol Foundation and ABC. “When talking about tourism, indicators such as the number of overnight stays or the number of visitors have always been pursued.

Now, we realize that there are other more important data, the volume is not as interesting as the quality”, explains Javier Torres Morote, director of the Planning and Tourist Information and National Promotion Area of the Seville Tourism Consortium. According to Torres, luxury transferred to tourism is understood as “a quality experience, a good product and exquisite treatment”.

Clear strategy

“We have to bring direct flights to Seville, and not just low cost,” says Rosa Madrid, something that also affects Alvaro Sanchís González-Palomino, owner of El Cronómetro, a watchmaker with a long tradition.

“There are many Asian clients, who are the biggest spenders, who come on organized tours and have already consumed in Madrid and Barcelona,” he explains. “If they came directly to Seville, they would do their shopping here.”

Sanchís warns that it is essential for local businesses to “experiment and take risks” in search of that customer with greater purchasing power. At El Cronómetro, for example, they have opened a store specializing in high luxury watches where more than half of the buyers are foreigners. For this type of public, they have a Chinese employee who attends them in their own language and with the appropriate manners. This technique is also used in El Corte Inglés, for example, where there are several employees who speak different languages and provide their services when required by customers.

Quality hotels

“In Seville we have a lot of potential, but we still have a lot to offer. In terms of population, we cannot compete with the big capitals like London or Paris, but we can compete with medium-sized cities like Florence, which are knowing how to exploit this sector much better than we do,” says Álvaro Sanchís.

Five-star hotels are essential for travelers who consume luxury or premium products to come to Seville. Rosana González Pereda, director of the Hotel Gran Meliá Colón, explains that, for her clients, “culture and tourism are inextricably linked to shopping”. “They spend more and want expertise and exclusivity, so we need high-quality local stores that speak English and offer them the products and treatment they are looking for,” she says.

Source: ABC de Sevilla