September Spending Rebounds Across Sectors, Led by Ploughing, Golf and Tourism
New data from the AIB Spend Trend report reveals that overall card spending in September rose by 10% year-on-year. The month saw notable surges in particular sectors, including golf, entertainment, tourism and exhibits, as consumers returned from summer holidays and settled into a back-to-school routine.
Key Drivers: Ploughing, Tourism and Exhibits
September proved to be a blockbuster for tourism and exhibits, marking the biggest selling days of the year so far on the 16th and 17th as thousands attended the National Ploughing Championships in Co Offaly. Ticket sales were especially strong among customers from Cork, Tipperary, Galway, Limerick and Offaly, underscoring the festival’s status as the world’s largest event of its kind. The spiking interest in ploughing demonstrates how traditional Irish events continue to drive consumer activity and local economies.
Golf: A Core Growth Area
The report highlights a 10% uptick in golf-related spending during September, coinciding with a high-profile period in Irish golf. Rory McIlroy clinched the Irish Open at The K Club and later joined Team Europe for the Ryder Cup, events that amplified nationwide enthusiasm for the sport. The data suggest golf clubs and courses benefited from this heightened interest, reflecting golf’s role as a durable draw for discretionary spend.
Entertainment, Cinemas and Digital Gaming
Entertainment spend jumped 18% over the 12 months to September, with a 7% month-on-month rise. Ticket sales surged by 45% year on year as events like Electric Picnic 2026 ticket sales kicked off in September, alongside anticipatory demand for The Weeknd’s Croke Park gigs. Cinema spend climbed 19% year on year, driven by popular releases such as The Conjuring: Last Rites and Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, while digital gaming rose 25% annually, driven by major releases including EA Sports FC 26. In September, 77% of gaming expenditure was by men, with 25–34-year-olds accounting for 29% of gaming spend, highlighting demographic patterns in entertainment and leisure spending.
Hospitality and Quick-Service Declines
Not all segments followed the upward trend. Hospitality showed softer demand in September, with hotel spend down 22% and pub spend down 26% month on month, and restaurant spend slipping 14% from August. Regional variations were pronounced, with Kerry (-20%), Wexford (-19%), and Donegal (-19%) among the notable downturns. The shifts point to ongoing caution in discretionary spending within hospitality while consumers balance travel, dining and entertainment choices across the country.
Data Quality and Business Insight
The September snapshot is drawn from 75 million card transactions by AIB customers, in-store and online. The data is anonymised and aggregated to provide a robust view of consumer spend patterns, helping businesses plan marketing, inventory and services to align with evolving customer behaviour. Adrian Moynihan, Head of Consumer at AIB, notes that September is a busy month as the post-summer lull ends and households re-engage with daily routines. He emphasizes that AIB’s data offers valuable insights into how customers spend and why, enabling businesses to tailor activities to trends and expectations.
What This Means for Irish Businesses
For retailers, recreation venues, and hospitality operators, the September trends highlight several opportunities: leverage the momentum in golf and tourism-related experiences, capitalize on big-ticket event cycles, and target marketing around major entertainment and cinema releases. While some hospitality segments cooled, cross-promotional strategies linking ploughing heritage events with local food, crafts and accommodations could sustain momentum into autumn.
Looking Ahead
As consumer sentiment and activity continue to evolve, the AIB Spend Trend data will remain a valuable barometer for the Irish economy. Businesses that monitor these patterns can better forecast demand, plan campaigns around peak periods (like September’s ploughing event or major golf tournaments) and optimize their pricing and product assortments to align with shifting consumer preferences.
