Spending on flights soared by 139% in the first week of Ireland’s second phase of reopening, new figures reveal.
After three months in lockdown, Irish shoppers are itching to get away with air travel purchases almost tripling in the first seven days of phase two.
Spend on trains, buses and taxis sped up by 115% while Irish holidaymakers shelled out an extra 101% on accommodation from June 8 – 14, the debit card analysis shows.
The Bank of Ireland figures also expose how the return of horseracing in Ireland ran alongside a 57% jump in spend on gambling.
The hike came as the sport resumed behind closed doors in Ireland on Monday, June 8th, the first day of phase two.
Meanwhile, getting out and about more saw our restaurant and takeaway bills rise by 63% while we rang up 56% more in retail sales.
The news comes as pubs face tough new proposals which could see a €9 minimum spend and 90-minute time limit when premises serving food are allowed to reopen on July 20th.
However, John O’Beirne said the figures reflect strong general optimism among Irish consumers about the lifting of lockdown restrictions.
He said: “Covid-19 has had a detrimental impact across health, society and the economy, impacting livelihoods and businesses across Ireland.
“Holidays are clearly front-of-mind, and spend on air travel and accommodation increased significantly last week.
John added:“A natural impact from the easing of restrictions is that we are leaving our homes more often, and this is clearly reflected in more of us spending on passenger transport services and spending less on entertainment such as streaming services.
By contrast, spend on stay-at-home activities took a dip with a 2% drop in grocery purchases following weeks of increased spend.
Debit card spend on entertainment dropped by 11%, while there was a fall of 21% in gaming purchases and 13% on video streaming services.
