Transaction growth among agents in March was 13.1% year-on-year, beaten only by the rebound in purchases of electronics and those from specialist food retailers.

Growth in actual spend was 7.1%, with airlines seeing a 7.4% increase, although the number of air ticket transactions fell 1.3%. By comparison, across all the segments surveyed by Barclays, non-essential spend grew only by 2.2% and transactions by 1.9%.

Travel spend as a whole was up 5.7% year-on-year, and Barclays said: “Three-fifths (61%) of consumers say they have spent on non-essential items even when they were financially stretched, with holidays emerging as the top priority purchase," adding: “One in five (21%) admit to spending money on trips they had not budgeted for.”

Barclays claims to manage nearly 40% of the nation’s credit and debit card transactions. In its latest data, relating to the period from 22 February to 28 March 2025, it found consumer card spending grew by 0.5% year-on-year – lower than February’s 1% growth and less than the latest inflation rate of 3.7% – again highlighting travel’s healthy position.

Barclays said the recent sunny weather boosted other spending with non-essential retailers like garden centres, which topped the growth in spend (+13.4%), and specialist food and drink stores.

However, it added rising bills meant consumers were feeling less confident in their household finances “and continue to find ways to cut back on essential costs”.

The research straddled the period during which Donald Trump announced worldwide tariffs, with Barclays finding two-thirds of UK adults concerned about the impact of stock market volatility on household finances, while 71% plan to buy more “Made in Britain” products.

In addition, 37% said they were trying to reduce their outgoings in March in anticipation of rising household bills, leading to a 2.9% decline in essential spending. However, 58% said they were confident in their ability to spend on non-essential items.

Jack Meaning, Barclays chief UK economist, cautioned that heightened uncertainty and rising bills were already being felt. “We expect spending to remain muted through mid-2025, before picking up into 2026 as interest rates easing starts to be felt and uncertainty begins to normalise,” he said.

Barclays’ findings were followed by a YouGov poll that revealed 8% of Britons were spending Easter abroad while 19% were preparing to take a break in the UK.

YouGov said: “When asked what factors influence their choice of Easter destination, 64% of UK adults point to cost and affordability, making it the most important consideration. This is particularly important to those aged 35-44 (73%). Other key factors include weather and climate (43%) and ease of travel (43%).

Meanwhile, Abta has found a big leap in consumer confidence in its brand. The association said 73% of consumers confirmed they "only trust companies that are Abta members", up from 63% last year.

Abta also found the association had an 84% awareness among consumers, with a 13 percentage point increase among younger travellers.