By Humphrey Carter
Copyright majorcadailybulletin
Spain’s hospitality industry has described the ban on smoking on terraces included in the anti-smoking law, approved on Tuesday by the Council of Ministers, as ‘disproportionate’ and has reiterated its ‘incomprehension’ at the measure, according to a statement from the organisation. The ban is part of the draft amendment to Law 28/2005 of 26 December on health measures against smoking and regulating the sale, supply, consumption and advertising of tobacco products.
The organisation has warned that the measure would have ‘very limited effectiveness’, as it could displace meetings with smokers to enclosed spaces such as homes, ‘increasing exposure to smoke’, and would encourage “disorderly” consumption in the vicinity of terraces, ‘where there are no designated areas for waste, with the consequent damage to the environment and neighbours’.
Hostelería de España has also warned of the ‘negative impact on tourism and the country’s international image’, considering that Spain would become an “exception” within Europe, where ‘only Sweden maintains a similar total ban’.
The organisation has highlighted that countries such as France have chosen to expressly exclude terraces from their restrictions so as not to harm the hospitality industry or tourism. “Furthermore, it would cause particular confusion among the millions of tourists who visit Spain every year – more than 94 million in 2024 – in a country where the tourism sector is one of the main economic drivers. It would also place an added burden on workers in the sector, who would be forced to take on surveillance duties that are not their responsibility, which could lead to undesirable situations with customers,” the organisation pointed out.
According to the latest survey conducted by 40dB in conjunction with Hostelería de España, 69.3% of Spaniards believe that information and awareness campaigns are more effective in reducing tobacco consumption than outright bans. In turn, the study highlights that the possible ban on smoking on terraces is not seen as a priority for the majority of the population either.
More than 56% of Spaniards do not consider it urgent to adopt this measure, while 85.2% anticipate that smokers will continue to do so in the vicinity, ‘hindering the work of local workers and generating new problems of coexistence’. Another conclusion of the survey is that 57.4% of respondents believe that there could be a “rebound effect”, with smokers moving their gatherings to enclosed spaces such as homes, ‘which would increase exposure to smoke in places with poorer ventilation’. Similarly, 62.6% fear a negative effect on Spain’s image as a tourist destination.
For all these reasons, Hostelería de España reiterates its ‘willingness to engage in dialogue’ with the authorities and urges the government to ‘reconsider the measure’. “It is essential to ensure coexistence and avoid imposing additional burdens on professionals in the hospitality sector. Terraces are a key space for the social and economic life of the country, and any decision must seriously assess its real impact in terms of employment, business activity, tourism competitiveness and customer experience,” said the president of Hostelería de España, José Luis Álvarez Almeida.
