July ‘nights out’ spend up 8%

July’s poor weather appeared not to put consumers off going out with year-on-year spending on ‘hotels, restaurants and bars’ rising by 7.9% in the month according to Visa Europe’s Irish Consumer Spending Index.

“People have been enjoying their nights out, whether it’s on the town in restaurants or pubs, or escaping the bad weather by catching a movie in the cinema,” commented Visa Europe’s Country Manager for Ireland Conor Langford who indicated that the latest data represents a very positive sign for continued growth in the Irish economy.

Visa Europe reports that Irish consumer spend on all payment types rose by 6.1% year-on-year to July, improving on the 5.6% year-on-year expansion in the previous month, June.