LVDI Marriott Shanghai

FAGORNEWS 2011
in their establishments before it was passed
did not note any drop in business, and even
in cases where drinks consumption had declined
they discovered that food consumption
had risen, perhaps due to the cleaner
air and the fact that they had done away with
a major source of appetite suppression by
banning cigarettes.
Pavement cafés, the
cigarette’s last stand
In any case, the recent history of the fight
against smoking is filled with examples
showing that when cigarettes are banned,
awareness would appear to be raised, so
much so that nobody - not even the smokers
themselves - want a return to the previous
state of affairs. In the 1980s, airlines began
to ban smoking on short-distance flights
and a decade later the ban was extended
22
to all flights without exception but, after the
initial protest, nobody today contemplates
the possibility of smoking on an aeroplane
ever again. A study conducted in 2007 by
the research company Synovate discovered
that 60% of the smokers interviewed were
in favour of restricting cigarette smoking in
places like restaurants, bars and public buildings.
The problem with implementing the law is
the high percentage of smokers in Spain -
just over 27% - and the fact that smoking is
a deep-rooted tradition in this country. The
fact that the law was enforced in mid-winter
could lead to a possible upturn in the habit,
as with spring just around the corner the
outdoor terraces of bars and restaurants are
turning out to be a providential solution for
many smokers who are not willing to give up
their cigarettes - or cigars, which were traditionally
smoked with a postprandial drink
TOGETHER WE EVOLVE
and are probably the tobacco variant that
has most suffered as a result of the ban.
Some autonomous communities and city
councils have already announced their intention
of encouraging outdoor terraces in
the streets, although it remains to be seen
whether these measures will be accompanied
by tax suppression to facilitate investment.
For the moment, a side-business
would appear to have boomed: the sale
of outdoor heaters, which create sufficient
warmth for clients to smoke in a pavement
café on even the coldest days of the year.
Although it is too early to say what the real
consequences of the law will be on the restaurant
and catering sector, and although
opinions are raging on all fronts, there is little
doubt that when the good weather sets in
the smoke will soon be rising from the streets
and squares of our country once again.
#04 / FEBRUARY 2011