Again good quarter for hotels and restaurants sector

• Hotels and restaurants sector benefits from nice summer weather
• Turnover and volume results pubs down from second quarter

In the third quarter of 2014, hotels, restaurants and pubs together realised 1.2 percent turnover growth relative to the second quarter. The volume of sales (food, drinks and overnight stays), increased by 0.9 percent. For the third consecutive quarter, the sector hotels and restaurants achieved positive results. Hotels and restaurants had better turnover results, but pubs recorded a negative turnover and volume growth, as Statistics Netherlands announced today.

Most substantial turnover growth for sector hotels and restaurants

Hotels and restaurants generated a 2.2 percent turnover growth in the third quarter. Hotels had also achieved positive results in the first and second quarter. In the summer period, the number of overnight stays in hotels increased. The number of foreign guests rose more rapidly than the number of Dutch guests.
This summer, the volume of food and drinks served in restaurants was 2.3 percent above the level recorded in spring. Snack bars and ice-cream parlours also achieved better turnover and volume results, although growth was less substantial than in the first and second quarter.

Poor turnover and volume results for pubs

With turnover and volume results respectively 1.4 and 2.2 percent below the level of previous quarter, pubs performed poorly in the third quarter compared to the second quarter. In the second quarter, turnover and volume had still shown growth. Since the fourth quarter of 2010, the volume of food and drinks sold in pubs had declined each quarter. The volume growth recorded for pubs in the second quarter appears to have been short-lived.

Turnover generated by the sector hotels and restaurants has risen by 4.8 percent relative to the same quarter last year.