Advertisement
Economy

Hotel sector to gain from May bank holiday weekend spending

The hotel sector is set to benefit from increased sales volumes over both bank holiday weekends in May, as part of a wider leisure spending trend identified by new figures from merchant services provider Paymentsense.


This is based on 2018 data from the company’s 70,000 small business customers across the UK, which revealed that pubs, bars and nightclubs enjoyed a near two-thirds (60%) sales lift, followed by hotels at well over a quarter (28%).

Regionally, across all sectors, the south east saw the greatest uplift in trade (up 9.2%), followed by the south west (7.6%) and the North East (7.2%). Portsmouth enjoyed the biggest spending boost at 26% above normal sales levels, with the national average standing at 6% uplift. London was much lower down the list at 2.2%.

Guy Moreve, CMO at Paymentsense, said: “Despite recent uncertain times for small businesses, our early analysis suggests that the trend of extra consumer spending across both bank holiday weekends is set to continue this year.

Advertisement

“As spring turns to summer purchasing trends shift with the seasons: our figures suggest May, with its two bank holidays, is the real start of summer for many people – their attention turns away from practical purchasing towards outdoor activities and entertainment.

Check out our free weekly podcast

Back to top button