Despite all the marketing it seems tourists still come to Ireland for the simple of things – the pub.

Overseas visitors have boosted the incomes of one in four Dublin pubs in the past year.

Although an AIB report on the drinks sector shows 50% of publicans have seen their income in the past year, some 30% have reported a rise in turnover.

A change in drinking patterns has also resulted in 71pc of drinkers coming later to the pub and staying for a shorter time. The age profile, too, is higher, with only 30pc of all pub customers under 30.

Four out of five pub owners also believe their customers have a drink at home before going to the pub.

The survey, which was compiled with the help of the Vintners Federation of Ireland and the Licensed Vintners Association, says 50pc of publicans had a drop in turnover last year, particularly in rural areas.

Publicans are hitting back at the drop in sales however – 35pc increased the amount of food they serve and 79pc of pubs organised events such as comedy or quiz nights to attract more business.

More than half the publicans said they expect business to improve over the next three years, while 37pc think it will take five years for the industry to fully recover.

Local authority rates, access to cheap alcohol in supermarkets and wage costs are the main worries of the pubs.

DELIGHTED

Chief executive of the VFI, Padraig Cribben, says the research demonstrates “a resilience and determination of behalf of many in the sector to overcome these challenges”.

Chief executive of the LVA Donall O’Keeffe is delighted the Dublin market is performing relatively well. “We are confident in the future of the Dublin pub,” he said.

Meanwhile the drinks industry has welcomed new research showing a “marked reduction” in the amount of alcohol pregnant women drink.

A Royal Academy of Medicine probe found that almost two-thirds of pregnant women abstain from alcohol compared to 28% eight years ago.