European Tax Free shopping continued to increase in April despite threats of an economic downturn in major markets and a holiday-related pause from Gulf nations.

Retail sales were up 4% from the previous month and hovered around near-record highs compared to before the pandemic. The US maintained its position in first place with a share of 19.8% of all spending across Europe, followed by China in second with 12.0%.

Southern European markets stood out as the big winners. Tax Free sales in Italy jumped 35% in April, after 30% growth the month before. Portugal and Spain also saw positive numbers, while France held its ground and Germany fell back.

Looking at hotel payments, the pattern seen so far this year continued in April with European hotel payments at 2% below where they were for the same month in 2019, returning back to January levels after a slight dip in February and March.

By far the best performer was Austria, with payments 29% above pre-pandemic levels in April and 12% above 2019 for the year to date.

This month, we explore in more detail Chinese and US retail consumer spending across Europe as the two primary source markets for European retailers.

Read all the detail in the report, which this month includes:

· Retail Tax Free sales summary

· Top 10 nationality sales vs ATV

· Sales & ATV mix by source market region

· Chinese travel outstrips the economy

· US tourists are back

· Actionable data for retailers

· UNWTO tourism recovery tracker

· International calendar 2023

Please get in touch with us if you’d like a copy of the report.