Americans dominate European tourism, new Adyen research

Adyen has released research revealing how tourist shopping habits differ by country.

Based on the company’s PoS transactions in Europe, this shows that Brits spend the most on city breaks in central Europe. Over 40% of all Chinese transactions across the continent are in outlet centres, compared to just 2% of US purchases.

Americans are the most dominant non-European tourists in the majority of countries. Although they tend to travel widely, there seems to be a slight preference for London, Amsterdam and Paris. As credit cards are by far the most common form of payment for Americans abroad, Adyen recommends that retailers in the UK consider both a wide credit card offering and dynamic currency conversion.

The most common place for Europeans to travel is just across the border. The British and French are the most widely travelled, with the former seen as the number one EU tourists in Amsterdam, Berlin, Budapest, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Paris and Warsaw, and the French in London as well as, Barcelona, Brussels, Geneva, Lisbon and Madrid.

Meanwhile, Adyen’s Unified Commerce Index shows that offering mobile wallets such as Apple Pay is also becoming a good option, as many travellers are starting to show a preference for these over cash. A reason for this might be that no currency conversion is necessary, it’s easy to top up while abroad, and any amounts that go unused can easily be spent at home.