Turnover accommodation and food services 1.5 percent up

Turnover accommodation services up

Relative to Q1 2019, turnover in accommodation services (including hotels and holiday parks) rose by 4.3 percent in the subsequent quarter. The volume of sales (turnover adjusted for price changes) increased by 1.1 percent.

Turnover generated by hotels rose by 2.9 percent and the volume of sales by 0.2 percent in Q2. Turnover generated by other accommodation services, such as holiday homes and campsites, increased by 8.2 percent.

Lowest turnover growth for food and beverage services in 2.5 years

In Q2 2019, turnover generated by food and beverage services (including restaurants, fast-food restaurants, canteens, catering companies and cafés) rose by 0.3 percent relative to the previous quarter. This is the lowest growth in 2.5 years. Turnover has been growing for almost four years in a row. The volume of sales decreased by 0.3 percent.

Canteens and catering companies recorded the highest turnover growth rate (1.9 percent). Turnover generated by cafés fell for the second consecutive quarter.

Entrepreneurs less positive, number of catering companies doubled

At the start of Q3 2019, business confidence (based on self-reporting) in the sector accommodation and food services stood at 7.4, over 1 percentage point lower than one quarter previously. This is the lowest level in more than 4 years. Furthermore, staffing deficits were comparable with the previous quarter: over 29 percent of entrepreneurs in this sector reported they were facing impediments in their business operations as a result of understaffing. The shortage of suitable personnel is also evident from the record number of nearly 26 thousand outstanding vacancies in the sector accommodation and food services at the end of Q2 2019.

The number of businesses in the sector accommodation and food services has been growing every quarter since 2013. In Q3 2019, this number reached almost 59 thousand. Nearly 50 thousand of these businesses were active in food and beverage services. The number of event catering companies rose to over 11 thousand, almost twice as many as five years previously.