High petrol prices are having a serious impact on rural and destination pubs, although restaurants have been hit far less, according to the Leisure Wallet Report by Zolfo Cooper.
According to The Times, the report found that 39% of the 3000 people questioned had become less inclined to travel to the country as a direct result of rising fuel costs.
Pub-goers have cut the average number of trips to their local from 5.3 times to 4.3 times. Even when the venture out, drinkers are spending less. Average spending has fallen from £17.88 a visit a year ago to £15.08, with the biggest drop being in the 35-54 age group.
Of those questioned for the survey, 46% said they were spending less on drinking outside the home, 12% were spending more - a net decline of 34%. The biggest net decline of 42% was in Wales, while the lowest was in London and the south east at 32%, and the north east at 30%.
The nightclub sector has also seen an impact with the proportion of people going clubbing dropping from 14% to 11% of the population. The core 18-34 age group has dropped from 36% to below 30%. Both spending per head and visit are down.
According to The Times, the report is less pessimistic about the restaurant sector. While the average number of monthly visit has dropped from 2.7 to 2.5, the amount spent on a meal has risen by 2.5% to £16.42. London has proved most resilient with spending up 5% £18.58 while Scotland was the worse affected with a drop of 4%.
