Agents buck trend with spending and transaction growth in June

Travel agents saw spending and transactions increase year on year in June – while overall consumer expenditure trends were downwards.

 

According to consumer card spending data from Barclays, overall expenditure fell 0.1% year-on-year in June, with the number of transactions down by 0.8%.

 

However, for agents, spending rose by 0.5% year on year while the number of transactions increased by 11.4%.

 

For airlines, spending rose by 5.8% but the number of transactions fell by 6.5%.

 

For the wider travel category, which also includes public transport, there was growth of 2.3% for spending and a drop of 2.6% for transactions.

 

Barclays also revealed the findings of consumer research carried out between June 27 and July 2, by Opinium Research.

 

It found that confidence in household finances improved by six percentage points to 73% – a four-month high.

 

In response to the government’s June 2025 Spending Review, a quarter (27%) expect their energy bills to go up, and a fifth (19%) anticipate their essential spending will increase.

 

Separately, three quarters (76%) are concerned about the impact of ongoing geo-political instability on their household finances.

 

Karen Johnson, head of retail at Barclays, said: “Despite the warm weather, which usually boosts non-essential sectors such as retail and hospitality, consumers spent cautiously in June, prioritising value as they navigate economic uncertainty.”

 

Jack Meaning, chief UK economist at Barclays, added: “The economy has cooled throughout through Q2, but our data does show pockets of strength.

 

“However, with both global and domestic uncertainty, and temporarily heightened inflation likely to continue, consumers are remaining cautious and maintaining savings buffers.

 

“We expect this to lead to limited GDP growth for the remainder of this year, before falling interest rates and a stronger sense of certainty drive a return to growth next year.”

 

More: Contrasting performance between agents and airlines revealed in latest consumer card spend update

 

Agents seeing consistent spend growth amid revival of package holidays