Queen mourning period gave tourism and retail big boost, says payment firm SumUp
The Queen’s death and funeral may have led to 10 days of national mourning, but it also gave Britain a welcome tourism boost, according to payments firm SumUp.
SumUp, which provides 4m small and medium-sized firms and other organisations with payment devices, said the industry experienced a spike in the last fortnight.
It released data from vendors in London and across the UK measuring spending from 10-12 September and the bank holiday weekend of 17-19 September.
Royal well-wishers splashed the cash on everything from hotels and restaurants to cafes and charitable causes.
Hotels in particular benefited from mourners flocking to London, with spending on them increasing by 24 pr cent.
Charities using SumUp experienced a 17 per cent rise in donations, while retail had a 13 per cent increase in sales throughout the day, over the last two weeks.
Perhaps the biggest winner from the period was the hospitality industry however. With hundreds-of-thousands joining queue to see Her Majesty lying in state, lining the streets to watch her funeral and leaving floral tributes at Royal sites, restaurants and food trucks had a big uptick in profit by 19 per cent.
The news will be a welcome boost for the hospitality and retail industries, which have been struggling amid the cost of living crisis, and warning about mass closures over the winter due to soaring energy bills.
Vice president of Marketing for Europe at SumUp, Nina Etienne, said “merchants in the nation’s capital experienced an influx of business” from mourners paying respects to the Queen, and marking the new King’s reign.
“For small businesses such as food trucks, restaurants, cafes, and independent retailers, the bank holiday provided them a boost.”
“As the queue stretched from Buckingham Palace through to London Bridge, tourists and locals alike were keen to support SMEs and micro merchants.”
Despite the cost of living crisis, Etienne praised well-wishers’ “charitable spirit” with donations up 17 per cent from the previous Monday.
She added “small business played a key role in supporting” commemorations for the Queen, “providing vital services to those in the capital who turned out to pay respects.”