The German hotel and restaurant industry in July further recovered from its slump caused by the coronavirus pandemic, but sales were still down more than a quarter when compared to pre-crisis levels, the statistics office said on Tuesday.

Revenues were up 21.9% month-on-month in real terms when adjusted for seasonal effects and declined by 26.8% versus July 2019, the office said in a statement.

Catering companies were hardest hit with a decline of 41.9% on the year.

The sector was essentially shut down in March as Germany’s 16 states introduced wide-ranging distancing measures to slow the spread of the pandemic.

Some restaurants temporarily closed while others switched to take-away services to stay afloat. Hotels were hit by a slump in leisure travel and cancelled trade fairs and congresses.

Reporting by Thomas Seythal; Editing by Andrew Heavens