What does shopping mean for the business traveler and how does he/she make it compatible with his/her travels?

JAVIER FERNÁNDEZ ANDRINO
International Marketing & Tourism Director de EL CORTE INGLÉS DEPARTMENT STORES

 

It can be said that the activity that all travelers have in common, regardless of their travel motivation and wherever they come from, is the shopping. Some spend thousands of euros and others just buy a simple souvenir, but shopping always has a place in their visit.

We are witnessing a natural change that has already occurred in the world's great shopping destinations, where they understand that the shopping is a key part and where any commercial director of a hotel has a close relationship with the department stores in their city.

The business traveler always finds a moment for shopping, not only for himself, but for his family. There are many cities in the world that convey a feeling special that incites you to spend: London, Paris, New York, Barcelona, Madrid… It's quite a spectacle to get to Fifth Avenue or the Champs-Elysées and see people enjoying the shopping.

In this sense, shopping is becoming one of the great activities of the professional travelers. In some cases, the offer of shopping centers is so similar in all countries that the differentiating element is to buy something outside, in stores with local character, since, in addition to the product, you also take part of its history and tradition.

However, there are also shopping centers that have the vocation of being a destination in itself. According to The Financial Times, the three most recognizable icons of tourism in Spain are the Sagrada Familia, the Prado Museum and El Corte Inglés. A good example of this is the project of our Castellana center in Madrid. According to what many multinational companies in the city's financial hub tell us, business travelers are eager to finish their meeting as soon as possible to go there because we are developing value propositions for all types of customers: personalized service for the tax free, transportation of purchases to the hotel or to the traveler's place of origin, spaces for private purchases, transfers  to the hotels…