Seven of the 17 antonymous communities across Spain, including Communidad de Valencia, adopted to stop smoking on terraces as part of the battle against the spread of Covid. This ‘Terrazas Sin Humo’ prohibits customers from smoking on the outdoor terraces of bars and restaurants.
However, now the national government is drawing up an anti-tobacco law, which would see this measure, amongst others, permanently introduced across the country. The announcement has already received a sharp backlash from the hospitality industry, which is still struggling from the on-going covid measures. They feel that many holiday –makers chose to come to Spain because they can sit outside and smoke at their table and the weather makes this an enjoyable experience.
The president of the Hospitality Industry of Spain, Jose Yzuel, called the plan ‘stupid’ and said that business owners should be able to make the choice as to whether not they decide to keep the no smoking rule.
The measure to ban smoking on terraces is just one of a raft of rules being considered by the Ministry of Health. The plans also include prohibiting smoking in private cars, making tobacco packaging generic, restricting the use of e-cigarettes and raising taxes across all tobacco products.