Summer 2021 was marked by a real cashless boom in the tourism and catering sector. According to the data released from SumUp’s Cashless Tourism Observatory, the average transaction value per merchant grew by 46% compared to 2020 and 32% compared to 2019, in the pre-Covid phase. The trend is also supported by the growth in the average number of transactions per shopkeeper: + 71% between 2020 and 2021. And according to analysts, the average receipt is also lower: from ice cream to umbrella, consumers in fact pay more and more often cashless even for small amounts.
The Cashless Tourism Observatory created by SumUp, the fintech of the digital payments and innovative cashless solutions sector, analyzed average transactions and average transaction value per merchant recorded in the summer months – from 1 June to 15 August – by hotels and other accommodation facilities, tour operators, spas, but also bars, clubs and restaurants. According to SumUp analysts, the value of the average cashless transaction of the merchants operating in the tourism and catering sectors, after decreasing by 9% from 2019 to 2020, has grown in the last year by 46% and, comparing 2021 with 2019, an increase of 32% is observed.
A trend also confirmed by Average number of transactions per merchant: SumUp data shows growth of 71% between 2020 and 2021: between 2019 and 2021, the increase is 113%. “The tourism numbers fit perfectly into the digital revolution that has characterized the country in the last two years, also due to the pandemic, and which has had important implications especially as regards payments” comments Umberto Zola, Country Growth Lead Italy by SumUp.