89
Three-decade struggle
and ban smoking in public but some hospitality businesses want the situation reversed
BY MARY ANN BENITEZ IN HONG KONG H
ong Kong’s tobacco control policy is at a crossroads. Since becom- ing one of the rst cities in Asia to
ban smoking in most public places in 2009, Hong Kongers are used to eating, drinking and shopping without smokers lighting up. But some club owners and restaurateurs still wish for a time before the ban, when premises had both smoking and non-smok- ing areas. Floor manager of Infusion bar and
restaurant, Olivia Luk, says more people prefer to sit on the tables in the outside area where they can smoke. “Actually more people prefer smoking
areas. Basically every night inside will not have that many guests. Inside it’s not fun because if you sit outside you can check out people walking around and they can smoke. Indoors they are not allowed to smoke,’’ she says. Ms Luk however says “the smoking
ban has not affected our business that much because guests can walk outside and smoke”. Kat, the manager of Hong Kong Brew
House, says the smoking ban was “a big dis- aster” for the pub. “So many customers like to drink and smoke but right now they can only drink here, unlike before. So they nd a place where they can smoke and drink.” Restaurants with outdoor areas enjoy
better business than those establishments without such amenities, she says. “We are affected by the ban,” Kat adds, admitting it is hard to say how many customers the venue has lost. “Now it’s better because people are
used to it. But still it has affected us a lot. It’s not as good as before.” “It’s not helpful for the people’s
health. If they don’t smoke here they can still smoke outside. So people won’t stop smoking if there is a ban. I don’t think it’s a good policy.” She says her customers were happier with a combination of smoking and non-
Hong Kong took 30 years to kick the habit
smoking zones in use before 2009. “If the government wants, they can ask restaurants to have a non-smoking area rather than the whole area as a non-smoking area.”
Revenue neutral The manager of El Rincon restaurant in Hong Kong’s night-time party zone Lan Kwai Fong says the ban has not helped much. “Usually people in Hong Kong, es- pecially Chinese, smoke a lot. So they will nd places outdoors, but in Lan Kwai Fong we are not allowed to bring tables out,” says the manager, who gave his name as Roger. “If you say ‘Don’t smoke’, they will
leave.” He believes the government should not
have banned smoking from bars. Restaurant receipts have not been
affected by the ban. The business sector- friendly Liberal Party said in 2007 that any ban would lead to drastic nancial losses and unemployment, recalls James Middleton, chairman of Clear the Air, a charity organisation committed to improv- ing Hong Kong’s air quality. Statistics from the Census and Sta-
tistics Department show that restaurant receipts have increased steadily from HK$61.9 billion (US$8 billion) in 2006 before the expanded smoking ban was enforced to HK$83.957 billion in 2010, a year after the full ban. The value of bar receipts increased from HK$1.3 billion in 2008 to HK$1.4 billion in 2010, according to the Department of Health. In the rst three quarters of last year,
restaurant receipts were HK$65.69 billion and were projected to reach HK$87.59 bil- lion this year. “So, in 2011 the rst three quarters
of the year, receipts were HK$3.79 billion more than the whole of pre-smoking legis- lation 2006. On year 2006 to projected year 2011 comparison, 2011 will be 41.5 percent higher in restaurant receipts than pre smok- ing ban 2006,” Mr Middleton says.
Long struggle It took 30 years for Hong Kong to create a smoke-free city, with the Department of Health taking a progressive and multi- pronged approach to implementation. The government rst enforced smok-
ing bans in 1982 and by 1997 the ban was extended to cover lifts, public transport, cinemas, concert halls, airport terminal and escalators. By July 1998, the ban was expanded to include shopping centres, department stores, supermarkets, banks and game arcades. The 1998 legislation required
JANUARY 2012
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