Turnover slightly up for hotels and restaurants

The hotel and restaurant sector booked 1.1 percent more turnover in the first quarter of this year than in the same quarter last year.  This is the second quarter in a row that turnover in the hotel and restaurant sector was slightly higher than twelve months previously. The increase was realised by  restaurants, pubs and hotels. Cafeterias suffered a loss in turnover  in this period.

Products in the hotel and restaurant sector cost on average 1.5 percent more than in the first quarter of 2005. If these price rises are taken into account, the volume of turnover was 0.4 percent down according to provisional figures from Statistics Netherlands.

Best results for restaurants and pubs

Restaurants and pubs both realised 1.6 percent more turnover in the first quarter of 2005 than in the same period last year. As Easter fell in March this year, the quarterly growth was above average. Indeed the increase in turnover in both branches was strongest in March, at 5 percent.

Prices in restaurants and pubs rose by 2.0 and 1.8 percent respectively in the first  quarter. As the price increase was slightly above the increase in turnover the volume of turnover fell slightly in both branches. However, the decrease was significantly smaller in the last two quarters than in the ten preceding quarters. 

Lower turnover for cafeterias

In contrast to other branches with the hotel and restaurant sector, cafés and cafeterias suffered a decrease in turnover in the first quarter of this year, namely by 0.3 percent. In the last quarter of 2004 too this was only branch where turnover decreased compared with twelve months previously. Prices in cafeterias rose by an average 2.2 percent in the first quarter of 2005. After correction for this, the volume decrease was 2.4 percent.

PDF contains complete press release including tables and graphics.