The Vintners’ Federation of Ireland says spending was down this summer despite a boost in footfall in tourist towns.
Publicans who rely heavily on tourism say customers spent less in their pubs on food and drinks over the past few months and are worried about heading into the winter season.
Speaking to RedFM News, President of the VFI and owner of the Castle Inn in the city Michael O’Donovan says pubs which thrive in the summer will have a challenging few months ahead
"A lot of publicans were saying that there was a lot of tourists around but the one thing that was very noticeable was the spend was way down this year. Discretionary spend on going out for meals, going out for drinks, so for those that are in the tourist hot spots that really depend on from March through to the end of October, they now have a particular difficult time getting through to next March, because they don't have the cash reserves built up"
