SmokeFree

According to a new survey by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), seven million more people will go to the pub when smokfree legislation is introduced later this year.

The survey, which was carried out to mark Community Pubs Week, found that of 1500 consumers, 6.2 million who visit pubs regularly are likely to visit pubs more often. Of that group 97 per cent were non-smokers.

 Other key findings of the report:

• 840,000 people who currently never go to a pub said they will after the smoking ban
• 93 per cent of real ale drinkers said they would be more likely to visit pubs more often or that their visiting habits would not be changed by the ban
• 68 per cent of regular smokers say it will not change their pub visiting habits at all
• Six per cent of all adults said it would not affect their visits to pubs at all and only three per cent said they would not visit pubs at all as a reulst of the ban

Commenting on the report, CAMRA chief executive Mike Benner said:

"The smoking ban will be a difficult transition for licensees, but it is encouraging that only three per cent of people surveyed by CAMRA said they would not visit pubs at all as a result of the ban. The key will be to ensure that other factors such as quality of real ale, food, atmosphere and welcome are all superb.

"If this is the case then the traditional Community Pub will have a bright and healthy future."

Original article appeared in the Publican