Smoke-free terraces?! Hospitality entrepreneurs and trade unions are concerned

It has been in the air for a while now: there are plans to make terraces completely smoke-free. Naturally, this is leading to a division between opposing camps. Hospitality entrepreneurs and industry association Koninklijke Horeca Nederland (KHN) have serious reservations about these plans and are very concerned. What effect will such a smoking ban ultimately have?

According to Clean Air Nederland (CAN), the number of terraces with a smoking ban is increasing rapidly. Six years ago, CAN counted 113 smoke-free hospitality terraces. Last summer, this number had already risen to 450. The idea of making terraces smoke-free comes from the European Commission (EC). It wants to make all outdoor spaces, including hospitality terraces, smoke-free. This does not only mean that you will no longer be allowed to light a cigarette while having a drink outside. Anything that produces smoke, including vapes, would also be covered by the ban.

Supporters of the ban

What does our government think of the EC’s recommendation? It supports it. No concrete rules have been imposed yet, but any organisation or municipality that wants to implement plans for smoke-free outdoor spaces will receive guidance from the government to make this possible.

Overall, a fairly large group supports the plans. Speaking for ourselves: we think smoking on terraces is simply antisocial. Someone lighting a cigarette just as we are being served a plate of food does not make us happy. A large study by Erasmus MC also shows that the majority of Dutch people believe terraces should become smoke-free. In addition, 80% of Dutch people believe terraces should be smoke-free when children are present, according to another study.

Consequences for the hospitality industry

But there are also opposing voices. Industry association KHN and hospitality entrepreneurs are seriously concerned about a possible smoking ban. Martijn Veen of Horecabrains (a nationwide partnership between hospitality entrepreneurs with (grand) cafés, restaurants, beach clubs and smaller clubs) even calls it ”an absolute threat to the hospitality industry that we should not underestimate”, he tells Misset Horeca.

What are they mainly concerned about? First of all, KHN believes that a smoking ban in outdoor spaces would create new problems. They expect people to stand just outside the terraces—in public pavements, roads and paths—and that is simply dangerous. Above all, however, hospitality entrepreneurs and hospitality trade unions fear the economic consequences of such a ban. Some guests will stay away or move elsewhere because of the ban, actions that will affect hospitality revenues. So ”once again, the hospitality industry is the one taking the hits”, Veen of Horecabrains tells Misset Horeca. He is, of course, referring to the strict rules that applied to the hospitality industry during the coronavirus pandemic.

Justified concerns?

Although there are no concrete plans yet, hospitality entrepreneurs and trade unions are convinced that rules will be introduced. KHN has already sent a concerned letter to the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport. Whether the concerns are justified remains to be seen. There are also examples showing that such a smoking ban can work extremely well. Strandpaviljoen de Branding on Terschelling, for example, has had a smoke-free terrace for more than 10 years. They have created a pleasant smoking area just outside the terrace, which smoking guests have now embraced. And if we want a smoke-free generation, rules like these will eventually be part of the process.

What do you think? Should the hospitality industry be allowed to decide for itself whether to ban smoking on its terrace, or should the smoking ban go ahead?

Read also:

• Treating colleagues at the office just as harmful as passive smoking?
• Annoying: hardly any Dutch is spoken in the hospitality industry anymore
• 10x painfully recognisable situations for everyone who works or has worked in the hospitality industry

Source: Misset Horeca, Frituurwereld