Balearic restaurateurs have totally rejected plans to the ban smoking on the terraces of bars restaurants, according to the president of Mallorca CAEB Restauración, Alfonso Robledo. The Ministry of Health intends to extend smoke-free zones and outside bars and restaurant is one are in the spotlight.
Although the Secretary of State of the Ministry of Health, Javier Padilla, has pointed out that the specific specification of which areas are smoke-free will have to be included in the legislative reform, he has stated that the new smoke-free areas that will be put on the table are "already known", referring to the possible ban on smoking on bar terraces.
The president of Mallorca CAEB Restoration has ensured that declaring smoke-free zones outside the premises of bars and restaurants will be a very hard blow to business, beacuse it will turn many customers away.
He argued that it makes no sense for a person to have to get up from a table to smoke next to it. "It is an unnecessary nuisance that will cause us very significant financial losses”.
Robledo also pointed out that this measure will have a major impact on tourism, as many people will opt for other competing destinations where smoking is permitted.
"Only Sweden bans smoking on terraces," he said. "In an economy based on services, such as the Balearics, it is incomprehensible to adopt this measure," he said.
José Luis Yzuel, president of the Spanish Hotel and Catering Association, feels the same.
In his opinion, this measure is not necessary because there is currently no problem with smoking on terraces.
"In the Ministry for Health there are real anti-smoking Talibans" and "anti-everything", he said. "Those in charge are the ultimate Taliban against absolutely everything, they want to tell us how we have to live and how we have to die. With all due respect, let me live the way I want as long as it doesn't bother you", he said.
And added that it should be up to the restaurateurs themselves to decide whether the terraces of their bars and restaurants should be declared smoke-free or not.