The Association of Bars and Restaurants of Lanzarote considers trivial and hasty the argument put forward by the Minister of Health, Elena Salgado, to the effect that the Anti-Smoking Law, in force since January 1, will not affect the Canary Islands tourism industry, because most visitors come from countries where smoking is prohibited in public spaces.
Victoriano Elvira, president of the organization, emphasizes that it is impossible to compare a person's daily work routine with the activities or expectations they may have of a vacation period. "You go into a bar and see tourists smoking pleasantly, so that argument is not valid," said the businessman.
"You can't ban everything"
Elvira believes that after a month it is hasty to make assessments, but in his opinion the central government has a desire to ban everything. "I find it unreasonable that the minister is already threatening changes in premises of less than 100 meters," said Elvira.
Salgado had stated, regarding the freedom that the Law gives to spaces of less than 100 meters to choose whether they want to be smoke-free spaces or not, to wait for the "dynamic to advance over time in the right direction", which is none other than to prohibit tobacco consumption in these establishments.
Adaptation of premises
The owners of bars and restaurants of more than 100 meters have until September to condition a smoking area. However, Elvira anticipated that "as is logical" they will exhaust the time granted to them by the Law to do works.
"If works have to be done, they will be done, but we hope they will be as little traumatic as possible," added Elvira.