Differences in tourist expenditure between market and non-market tourism: modelling the spending of tourists staying in second homes

This research analyzes whether the type of accommodation used by tourists – market or non-market – influences tourism expenditure, with a focus on second-home tourism, a type of tourism that has been relatively underexplored. This study provides, as its main novelty, a comprehensive analysis of tourism demand using Spain as a case study. It is based on a comprehensive structured survey comprising 1,253,115 sample units collected over a period of 10 years (2015–2024), analysing direct expenditure on individual goods and services by tourists during their stay. The results show that tourists staying in market accommodation spend significantly more than non-market tourists, a difference that holds true for both domestic and international tourists and for the different destination regions. Additionally, it is confirmed that length of stay, mode of transport, seasonality, and destination region significantly influence the tourism expenditure of non-market tourists. The main contribution of this work lies in providing, for the first time, empirical evidence at the national level that integrates the totality of tourist demand – domestic and international – and all types of accommodation. These findings provide valuable evidence for designing policies aimed at enhancing economic returns in destinations with a strong presence of second homes.