Furniture Fair 2026, 'Tax free' spending up by 4%

The success of Milan's Salone del Mobile and Design Week, which took place from 20 to 26 April, is also confirmed by surveys on the spending of non-European tourists carried out by Global Blue, a company that provides payment technology, tax-free shopping services and post-purchase solutions.

Once again this year, the fair confirms itself as the event that fuels the most international shopping in Milan: the deisgn week is in fact the one that recorded the highest volume of 'Tax Free Shopping' expenditure in the last 12 months with a 4% increase compared to the last edition.

A further fact certifies the positive impact of the event: during Design Week, spending volumes in Milan increased by +108% compared to the average of the previous three weeks. Milan therefore contributed 47% of the total national volumes, a 7 percentage point increase over the average figure for the first months of the year.

Analysing flows in detail, the Americas are confirmed as the most dynamic basin for the city. The United States lead the purchases (16% of total volumes), with a 40% growth in spending compared to 2025 and an average amount per shopper of 1,511 euros (+10%). A confirmation that, despite tariffs, the US market continues to have great interest in Italian design products and remains an important marketplace for companies to invest in.

Strong acceleration also for the Latin American market, third with 12% of total expenditure and up by 45%. Also significant is the contribution of China, which, with 15% of volumes, ranks as the second nationality and records a growth in expenditure of +10%.