Chinese mainland tourists and travel agencies said they would
not shun Hong Kong despite its new smoking ban.
The Chinese mainland has an estimated 350 million smokers.
From January 1, Hong Kong the No 1 outbound tourism destination
for mainland travelers banned smoking in most public places.
Under Hong Kong's new laws, smoking will be illegal in all
indoor workplaces and public venues serving customers of all ages,
including restaurants, parks and beaches.
Exemptions are only given to places catering to adults over 18
such as bars, saunas, nightclubs and mahjong parlors until
mid-2009.
Those who violate the new laws could face a maximum fine of
HK$5,000 (US$ 642).
"The ban will not influence our business," said Liang Yuan,
manager of the marketing department, China Travel International.
She said aside from Hong Kong, a few European countries and
Singapore have similar bans.
"Laws in Singapore are even stricter than that in Hong Kong. The
sale of tour products to these places has not suffered because of
the bans," she said.
To non-smokers, the ban is welcome news. "It makes Hong Kong an
even more pleasant place to travel," said Xiao Hua, who will be
visiting the special administrative region this month.
For heavy smokers, the tour to Hong Kong would not be
unbearable, Liang said. As smoking is still allowed in some places,
local tour guides will tell travelers where it is permitted and
where it is not, she said. "I believe visitors understand the rules
and will obey them."
To avoid unnecessary trouble overseas, most major travel
agencies brief their customers on the rules and regulations of the
countries they intend to visit.
Du Ping, marketing staff with the China International Travel
Service Head Office in Beijing, said the smoking ban in Hong Kong
would be made known to travelers.
"Major travel agencies since last year have been stressing to
travelers the importance of watching their behavior overseas," she
said.
This is in response to the tourism administration's call for
people to be better behaved when visiting other countries.
In the first half of last year, the unfriendly behavior of some
mainland tourists while overseas have been reported by the media.
This provoked a heated discussion among the masses on how to guard
the nation's image.
The new Hong Kong regulation has already dealt a hard blow to
Chinese restaurants, which are often frequented by mainland
businessmen.
Lee, a supervisor of the Super Seafood Hotpot Restaurant in
Tsuen Wan, said there has been a marked drop in customers since the
ban came into effect.
"It used to be full house at dinner time and you could hear many
local and mainland businessmen striking deals over cigarettes and
wine in the function rooms," Lee said. "Now they simply don't come
to our restaurant."
The ban has also taken its toll on restaurants in the popular
tourist areas.
Wu, a staff member of Wong Chi Kei Noodles and Congees in Lan
Kwai Fong, Central, said there had been a slight drop in business
in the past few days.
"Most mainland visitors are very co-operative, though, when they
see the "No Smoking" signs on the walls," Wu said.
(China Daily January 4, 2007)