Consumer spending in April was aided by increased cinema outings driven by the launch of the popular Minecraft Movie, “and likely helped by the wet weather over the school break”, according to AIB’s latest spending tracker.
The data compiled from 74 million card transactions carried out by AIB customers pointed to positive spending trends for tourism and hospitality (up 11 per cent year on year) while restaurant spending was up 10 per cent.
It was also a strong month for car rental, with spending up 10 per cent year on year and the number of transactions up 19 per cent.
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Airline spending, however, was down 8 per cent over 12 months with the average online airline transaction at €247 in April.
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Overall spending increased 11 per cent year on year while online spending rose 16 per cent.
Adrian Moynihan, head of consumer at AIB, said: “Overall, it’s very positive to see continued strong consumer spend levels in April, up 11 per cent on the same period last year.
“With the Easter holidays traditionally a busy time for hotels and restaurants as people take advantage of the break, April saw strong spending increases across the hospitality sector which is a positive sign for businesses,” he said.
