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Date Published: 23/01/2025

Tourist bar and restaurant spending in Murcia lags behind the rest of Spain

When it comes to foreign tourist spending, the Region of Murcia is surprisingly low on the list

Tourist spending on restaurants in the Region of Murcia is looking fairly solid so far this year, although the impact of holidaymakers hasn’t reached the “exceptional” levels seen in other parts of Spain, according to a recent CaixaBank Research's report.

While the data is positive on the whole for the Region, there’s still plenty of room for improvement. The average spending per person isn’t quite on par with provinces where tourists are spending more, so Murcia is still considered one of the lower-spending regions.

In Murcia, the average restaurant or bar tab is 21 euros, which is the same as the national average in Spain. But there's a big gap between communities, with places like the Balearic Islands topping the chart with an average of 35 euros per bill, while Álava is at the bottom with just 16.50 euros.

Other provinces with higher spends include Malaga, Segovia, Ávila, Asturias and Gerona. Interestingly, some of the bigger cities, like Zaragoza, Barcelona and Valencia, along with Álava, have some of the lowest average spending, though they’re still above the bottom tier.

Tourists naturally play a huge role, contributing up to 38% of hotel revenue, and it's clear that the average spend is higher in regions that attract international visitors. The restaurant sector, in particular, has benefited from a big boost in tourism, although its revenue is very seasonal, with around 40% of income coming in just four months.

Foreign tourists also tend to spend more - around 31.20 euros per transaction, which is about 6 euros more than what Spanish holidaymakers spend.

When it comes to foreign tourist spending, the Region of Murcia is surprisingly near the bottom of the list, only ahead of Huelva and Guadalajara. But it’s worth noting that spending by international tourists in Spain has seen a significant boost over the past year, with a growth rate of around 20%.

Overall, the restaurant industry has really thrived thanks to the surge in tourism. Spending in restaurants grew by 6.5% in 2024, which is a solid increase, although not as dramatic as the double-digit growth seen in 2022 and 2023, when the post-pandemic recovery and inflation were driving factors, according to the researchers behind the report.

In other news: Loss of trees in Murcia towns causing dangerous 'urban heat islands'

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