Business up at hotels and restaurants

WHILE THE tourism sector continues to struggle as a result of the downturn, there are some positive signs emerging, according to new research from InterTradeIreland.

Its latest survey reveals that while the recession has hit small business hardest, companies in the hotel and leisure sector have made the greatest improvement in sales over the last quarter.

The quarterly business monitor, which assesses the mood of 1,000 companies, reported that 28 per cent of firms in the hotel, leisure and catering sector reported an increase in sales in comparison with 18 per cent in the previous quarter.

It also found that 8 per cent of companies in the sector reported that they had increased employee numbers, with 13 per cent reporting a decrease.

In addition, companies in the tourism sector are looking forward to the next 12 months with increased optimism on the sales side, with 33 per cent saying that sales are likely to increase, which is a 5 per cent improvement on the previous quarter. The hotel sector is also expected to increase employee levels, although very slightly.

The director of strategy and policy at InterTradeIreland Aidan Gough welcomed the increase in sales across the hotel, leisure and catering sectors.

“While some of this may be seasonal, the sector is also looking ahead to the future with increased optimism, with a third of companies reporting that they expect sales to increase in the next 12 months and similarly 51 per cent reporting that their business is stabilising and growing.”