licinius

How many tourists have stopped visiting Spain because of smoking? Why has tourism risen in Turkey, but declined in Spain? The answer is simple, more than 3/4 of Brits do not smoke & do not want to sit in a smokey restaurant themselves, let alone put their children through it.

I think you'll find that the Spanish government value the income generated from foreign tourists more than the tax raised from tobacco sales.

This time next year, the majority of Spanish bars will be kicking themselves for not imposing a ban sooner.

bil

My grandparents ran one, and in our village, which wasn't big, there were some 8 - 10 pubs which was almost one per street.

They all went tits up bar three long before the smoking ban.

jackytoo

Is Turkey now non-smoking

jimenato

I think it's gone already! Who was that twat?

rugbymatt

I wouldn't say he was a twat, he loves a good argument though.... maybe thats just what we need to liven things up a bit eh?

scampicat

They don't where I live. Up until this smoking ban, most of the bars took their tables and chairs inside until May. Our villagers would never dream of sitting outside them, not even in summer usually. The only people who sit outside are tourists and visitors.

The tables are out again now for the smokers, so all us non-smokers have to sit INSIDE if we don't want the smoke!

Aldo_in_exile

I thought thats what i said

thanks for the welcome big guy

Aldo_in_exile

did i upset you?

Aldo_in_exile

An interesting article on the subject.
http://www.foresteireann.org/press-r...new-resea.html

rugbymatt

Yeah, thats odd because I thought you suggested that the cause was the smoking laws....

jimenato

No - but you gave me a good laugh.

Ah, FOREST. Don't you think they might be slightly biassed?

Casa Santo Estevo

Problems in Barcelona.

spanishgirl

I know that I nursed my mother through terminal lung cancer. She smoked all her life from the age of 13, and died at 64. The consultant told her in no uncertain terms that she had shortened her life by many years by smoking.

It was all very traumatic, and made even worse when the cancer spread to her brain.

I have never smoked, but obviously been involved with passive smoking.

In the days when my mother was young, it was glamourous to smoke; many film stars and celebrities did and it was even considered to be healthy. Not so now.

Any Government is in a no win situation. There should be freedom of the individual to smoke, but at the other side of the coin, smoking should not affect others adversely. And of course there is the revenue brought into Government coffers by the tax on cigarettes! (But then, how much does it cost the Health Service in looking after people with smoking related illnesses?).

It is all very complex. And everyone can argue until they are blue in the face.

Maybe a visit to the terminal ward of the local hospital and a chat to people who are dying may stop some people smoking. Who knows?

I can fully understand how difficult it is to stop smoking. But for the ones of us who don't smoke, it is much nicer to go into a non-smokey bar. We also should have the choice of not being near tobacco fumes

I hope that it all settles down, and people get used to the new laws. It is only the first couple of weeks, so we need to wait and see.

In our area, Guardamar del Segura, most people do seem to be adhering to the non smoking law. They seem to be doing it in a good way, many taking their drinks etc outside whilst they smoke, then they come back into the bar.

Rosemary

I totally agree with you Spanishgirl. I too nursed my mother with lung cancer which went into her brain, she died aged 58 years old having smoked since she was 14. A very traumatic experience for me and my family and not one that I would wish others to have to go through but obviously many will.

I love the no smoking ban because I will now go into bars for food whereas previously I only visited places that had a no smoking section that did not get the smoke drifting into the area.

Rosemary

Chiclanagir

Yes, they do. Possibly not when it is raining but when the sun is shining everyone sits outside here,especially down at the beach.