Spending in cinemas surged during the February mid-term break as parents sought to keep their children occupied, data from Bank of Ireland shows.

Consumer outlay on trips to the cinema shot up 69% during the week of 13-17 February compared to 10% uplift in overall spending week-on-week.

Similarly, spending in swimming pools (+30%) and museums (+27%) rose by more than a quarter from the previous, and the study shows spending by 13-17 year-olds in museums increased 23%, so it wasn't just parents getting their cards out.

Mayo posted the highest mid-term spending increase of the 26 counties monitored at 47%, ahead of Laois (+29%), Cavan (+23%), Roscommon (+23%), and Leitrim (+23%).

The increases were modest in Carlow (+4%), Dublin (+4%) and Kildare (+7%), and spending in Westmeath (+0%) was static from the week prior.

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Spending also rose during the mid-term in theatres (+16%), sweet shops (+14%), fast food outlets (+7%), and teenagers specifically increased their spend in sports clubs (+120%), shopping centres (+69%) and swimming pools (+55%).

“The age-old question faced by parents trying to entertain their children never gets any easier to solve, but according to our latest Spending Pulse it looks like they gave it a good go recently," said Jilly Clarkin, head of customer journeys and SME markets at Bank of Ireland.

"People flocked to the cinema in their droves, but it wasn’t just a popcorn fest for mid-term break as museums and theatres filled up too.

“A spending rise in shopping centres and fast-food outlets is to be expected, with teens themselves posting a total spending spike of 51% during their week off, but a 30% hike in swimming pool spend indicates that many children also kept active in their time away from the classroom.”

(Pic: Getty Images)