Insights Weekly Roundup

Insights Weekly Roundup 16/06/2025

Industry: 

• A new survey of hospitality operators across Northern Ireland lays bare the impact of recent increases to employer National Insurance Contributions (NICS) and above inflation wage increase on hospitality businesses, with 27% of operators stating that they are now operating at a loss and 20% stating that they have broken even. Just 6% of respondents stated that they have made a greater profit at this stage in 2025 than in 2024. Hospitality Ulster - Over a quarter of NI hospitality businesses now operating at a loss (10 June 2025) 

• Provisional estimates from the UK International Passenger Survey for Q3 and Q4 2024 find that there were 39.2 million inbound visits to Great Britain. Inbound visits were just behind pre-COVID levels in 2024 (–4%), with moderate growth vs 2023 (+3%). Spend remained below 2019 and 2023 levels in real terms. European visits were just short of pre-COVID levels but saw growth vs 2023 with record spend, North America led recovery seeing both record visits and spend in 2024, whilst Rest of World saw YoY declines although there is much variation by market. VisitBritain - International Passenger Survey by the ONS, Provisional Q3 and Q4 2024 (13 June 2025) 

 Economy: 

• Growth in Northern Ireland's services sector slowed sharply in the first three months of this year, official data suggests. Services is the largest part of the NI economy, covering a broad range of activity including retail, hospitality, and finance. Growth in the first quarter of the year was just 0.1%, compared to 1% in the final quarter of 2024. BBC News - NI Economy: Services sector slowed sharply at start of the year (12 June 2025) 

Closer to Home: 

• The latest figures published by the CSO indicate that there was a 30% increase in the number of overnight trips taken by ROI residents to NI in the first quarter of 2025 compared with the same period in 2024. This was driven by strong growth in holiday visitors and those visiting friends and relatives compared to Q1 2024, possibly linked to the ongoing perception amongst ROI residents that NI offers better value for money than ROI and GB, with shopping and public transport considered good value for money. Central Statistics Office - Household Travel Survey Quarter 1 2025 (13 June 2025)

Insights Weekly Roundup 09/06/2025

 Consumer: 

• Irish consumer confidence improved marginally in May as tariff threats eased slightly but continuing downside risks to the economy and some signs of renewed pressure on household finances mean sentiment remains soft and continues to signal a nervous Irish consumer. Credit Union Ireland – ROI Consumer Confidence Index May 2025 (23 May 2025) 

• The Consumer Council’s latest Household Expenditure Tracker found that Northern Ireland’s lowest earning households (Quartile 1) have seen an 18% drop in discretionary income since early 2021, leaving them with less than £53 a week on average after paying for essentials. Households in Quartile 2 are under greater pressure, with their discretionary income still down by 29%. Meanwhile, higher income households in Quartiles 3 and 4 have nearly recovered their spending power. Consumer Council - Northern Ireland Household Expenditure Tracker Q4 2024 (29 May 2025) 

 Industry: 

• According to the May 2025 World Tourism Barometer from UN Tourism, over 300 million tourists travelled internationally in the first three months of 2025, about 14 million more than in the same months of 2024. That represents a 5% rise on last year and is 3% more than in pre-pandemic year 2019. The robust performance came despite the sector facing a range of geopolitical and trade tensions, as well as high inflation in travel and tourism services. UN Tourism – World Tourism Barometer (27 May 2025) 

 Air Access: 

• Belfast City Airport has officially launched its summer 2025 schedule with the restart of easyJet flights to Palma de Mallorca. The service to the Balearic Island destination operates twice a week, every Monday and Thursday throughout the summer. Belfast City Airport - Summer 2025: easyJet flights to Palma de Mallorca take off from Belfast City Airport (5 June 2025) 

Insights Weekly Roundup 02/06/2025

Tourism Performance: 

• On 29/05/2025, the Northern Ireland Statistics & Research Agency (NISRA) published 2024 tourism performance statistics. According to the report, there were an estimated 4.7 million overnight trips in Northern Ireland in 2024, with associated expenditure of £1.1 billion. This includes overnight trips taken by external visitors to NI and domestic trips taken by local residents. All topline KPIs experienced declines vs 2023, potentially linked to consumers prioritising holidays abroad, and the increased impact of cost of living on consumer behaviour. NISRA – NI Annual Tourism Statistics 2024 (29 May 2025) 

• The Irish Tourism Industry Confederation (ITIC)’s latest tourism dashboard shows a 4% drop in international visitor numbers to the Republic of Ireland in April 2025 compared to the same month last year. ITIC note that “although this represents a recovery from the sharp decline reported by the Agency in the first quarter there nonetheless remains somewhat of a disconnect between the monthly CSO survey and industry data. The latter includes airports, airlines, hotels and attractions which reported a solid April compared to a year ago helped by a later Easter period.” ITIC – Tourism Dashboard April 2025 (29 May 2025) 

 Consumer: 

• Overall consumer confidence in Northern Ireland remained unchanged in the first quarter of 2025, as people’s improved confidence around current finances and expected spending on expensive items was offset by lower levels of positivity around future finances and job security, according to new analysis from Danske Bank. Danske Bank – NI Consumer Confidence Index Q1 2025 (20 May 2025) 

• GfK’s long-running UK Consumer Confidence Index increased by three points to -20 in May. All measures were up in comparison to last month’s announcement. The measure for personal finances looking ahead for the next 12 months has moved out of negative territory, increasing by five points to + 2. It’s also worth noting the three-point rise in the measure on major purchases for big-ticket items such as furniture or electrical goods, with May’s score of -16 marking the highest level seen since the end of 2024. NIQ/GfK - UK Consumer Confidence Index May 2025 (23 May 2025) 

• New consumer holiday research from YouGov suggests that Spain is the top spot for British holidaymakers, with 15.9% saying it’s the destination they’re most likely to visit next. The United Kingdom comes in close behind at 14.3%, suggesting that many still see value in domestic travel. Rounding out the top five are Italy (9.3%), Greece (9.3%), and France (8.0%). YouGov - Where are Britons going for summer holidays in 2025? (16 May 2025) 

Insights Weekly Roundup 26/05/2025

Industry: 

• European tourism demand ended 2024 on a strong footing according to the latest report from the European Travel Commission, with international tourist arrivals increasing by 6.2% on last year and most destinations reporting substantial increases. European tourism officially exceeded pre-COVID levels (+6.2%) in 2024, while consumer preference continues to lean towards value-for-money and destinations with milder temperatures. European Travel Commission - European Tourism 2025 Trends & Prospects (Q1/2025) (May 2025) 

Consumer: 

• According to BRC-Opinium data, consumer expectations improved over the next three months on the state of the economy (-36 in May, up from -48 in April) and on their personal financial situation (-12 in May, up from -16 in April). Overall spending expectations stayed at similar levels for a third consecutive month, while expectations of retail spend dropped slightly.  British Retail Consortium - Confidence rises as trade outlook improves (22 May 2025) 

Air Access: 

• With the introduction of a second daily flight since last October, the number of passengers flying with KLM from Belfast City Airport to Europe has doubled in 2025, while bookings to long haul destinations have grown by 159 percent year on year. Bookings to China have seen the biggest surge with an impressive 751 percent increase. This latest data was unveiled as Belfast City Airport and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines celebrate a decade of partnership, marking 10 years of consecutive services between Belfast and Amsterdam. Belfast City Airport - International bookings surge as Belfast City Airport marks 10 years with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines 

Closer to Home: 

• Tourism Ireland’s new Business Events 2030 strategy was launched internationally this week by Tourism and Employment TD Peter Burke at IMEX Frankfurt, one of the leading global exhibitions for Business Events. The strategy was launched in Ireland at the end of April. The Business Events sector contributes more than €1 billion to the Republic of Ireland’s economy each year and the new strategy has an ambitious target to drive an average annual revenue growth rate of +8% to 2030. International launch of new Business Events strategy by Minister Peter Burke in Frankfurt (22 May 2025)