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Spending on travel up for second consecutive month as consumer confidence builds

Economy
James Chapple
13 October 2026

Spending on travel went up for a second consecutive month in September while several measures of consumer confidence recovered to their highest levels since the start of the war in the Middle East.

A family relaxing by a pool on holiday
iStock / Aleksander Nakic

Spending on travel rebounded for a second month in succession in September

Consumers spent 2% more on travel this September than they did last year, and 3.2% more with travel agents. It comes after the sector returned to growth last month for the first time since February.

Travel-specific transactions increased by 1.1% in September, according to Barclays' latest Consumer Spend Report, while agents saw a 5.5% year-on-year uptick in transactions.