Oasis gigs give supersonic boost to Dublin economy

Card spending increased by more than nine per cent in Dublin last weekend when compared with the previous weekend while the volume of transactions rose by eight per cent.

Revolut said it hadn't seen such a spike in spending since the Taylor Swift gigs at the Aviva Stadium last June.

Spending in Dublin's bars, cafés, restaurants and nightclubs grew by 16 per cent against the previous weekend.

While spending on public transport in the rest of Ireland fell nine per cent, it rose 120 per cent in Dublin as fans from around the country descended on the capital. Taxi drivers also saw the benefit with a 15 per cent uplift in revenue.

For those that missed out on tickets, there was still a party atmosphere across the county, with Dublin sales of store-bought beer, wine, and liquor rising by over a third versus 9-10 August.

Adults aged 25-34 were the most "madferit", outspending Oasis’ fans that are now likely "Married With Children" (those aged 45-54) who would have been 15-24 back in the mid-90s during the band’s peak.

35-44-year-olds followed closest, suggesting that there was still an older generation of Oasis fans out and about in Dublin on the weekend for the two concerts.

Furthermore, Dublin restaurants, pubs, and licensed stores enjoyed a boost in "cigarettes & alcohol" sales to Oasis fans across the weekend.

The bank’s Revolut Business customers recorded an increase in revenues, with those in the ‘food, beverages or tobacco’ industries experiencing a notable two per cent uplift when compared with the previous weekend.

“It’s safe to say that Oasis ‘Definitely Maybe’ gave the Dublin economy a boost last weekend,” said Malcolm Craig, general manager at Revolut Bank UAB - Ireland Branch.

 Revolut spending in Dublin rose nine per cent last weekend for the Oasis gigs.
“Consumer spending of this level in just one weekend sends a very strong signal about the confidence of our more than 3m customers in Ireland.

"Last weekend highlights the value of attracting genuine A-listers to Ireland and that Revolut remains Irish people’s preferred way to spend.”

 * This article was originally published on BusinessPlus.ie.