Customer spending on arts and recreation fell by 6.6% in November last year, according to the latest figures by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
That was the largest fall of any sector that month and comes after a fall of 3.2% in October. It’s a reversal of what happened earlier in 2022, when spending on entertainment increased following the end of COVID lockdowns.
Why?
Sybille McKeown, head of industry statistics at the ABS, said this is likely because people have less ‘discretionary’ income due to the rising cost of essentials like food, energy and housing.
This decline in spending can be seen across many forms of ‘discretionary’ spending, with spending on hospitality also falling in November.
