A nation of bars: hospitality now leads consumer spending in Spain

Hospitality has become the main driver of consumer spending in Spain, accounting for 18.1% of household expenditure. Leisure, sport and culture is the sector that has grown the most over the past year.

The way Spain spends its money has changed. Where the dinner table once reigned supreme, it is now the bar counter and the restaurant table that take the crown. We are talking about hospitality, which, at **18.1%** of total household spending, has for the first time in at least **30 years** overtaken food, which now stands at **16.9%**. This means that eating out, having a drink or staying away from home now weighs more on Spaniards' wallets than stocking the pantry.

## The unstoppable rise of the bar

This shift in consumption habits is not a quirk of this year alone. Hospitality has been climbing the ranks for some time. Looking back, in **1996** it accounted for just **11.8%** of family spending, less than half of what went on food. Then, at the height of the property bubble around **2006**, it was already approaching **14.8%**. Despite a slight dip in the trinc decade, the upward trend has continued to reach today's **18.1%**, a milestone not seen in **Eurostat**'s official statistics.

It is true that the way these figures are calculated has its nuances. For instance, mortgages are not counted as direct spending, and the fact that **Spain** is such a touristy country inflates spending figures within its territory. But beyond the methodologies, what is clear is that the hospitality sector has adapted and grown, claiming an ever-larger slice of the family budget.

## Leisure, the big winner of the past year

But hospitality is not the only one taking a bow. The leisure, sport and culture sector has been the real champion of the past year. It grew by **2.6 percentage points**, even outpacing hospitality itself, which gained **two points** over the same period. Food, by contrast, lost ground, dropping **1.1 points**. Other sectors such as housing, transport and clothing also saw their relative weight decline.

This shift in priorities is particularly noticeable among younger generations, who seem to be prioritising experiences and going out over accumulating assets such as property.

## Spain versus Europe: a taste for the street

The Spanish trend contrasts with the European average. Across the **European Union**, food, housing and transport remain the biggest spending categories, together accounting for almost half the total. Hospitality, although it has grown, ranks only fourth.

What Spain and Europe do share is the boom in leisure. In the EU, this sector has also climbed the most, rising **1.2 points**. European hospitality has also increased, though more modestly, by three tenths of a point. It seems that, in general, Europeans are seeking more experiences and enjoyment beyond the strictly necessary.