Overseas holidays 'outshining' staycations as consumer confidence 'picks up' – Barclays

The bank’s card transaction data shows that overall spending on travel rose by 5.8% year-on-year during the four weeks from 23 March to 19 April, compared with the corresponding period in 2023. This was well above overall consumer spending growth of just 1.6%.

The number of travel bookings also increased by 6.5% year-on-year with the sector being boosted by the Easter holiday falling during this period.

The picture was even better for travel agencies with spending up by 7.1% last month, which was the same percentage as during March, while transactions for agents rose even more steeply by 14.4% year-on-year.

Agencies also outperformed airlines during the four-week period, with spending on flights up by 6.2% and transactions increasing by 9.2% year-on-year.