FEHT call to reconsider Spanish smoking ban

The Federation of Hotel and Tourist Businessmen of Las Palmas (FEHT) has requested that the Spanish government take economic factors into account before introducing a smoking ban on outdoor terraces.

The FEHT claims that “absolute and un-nuanced measures” could negatively affect the competitiveness of the Canaries as a holiday destination, when compared to other European destinations with “more flexible” laws.

It claims that the proposed law does not take economic factors into account and asks for “dialogue” and “rigorous analysis” before any law is introduced. 

The federation considers that open spaces such as terraces already permit smokers and non-smokers to co-exist and wishes to leave decisions on restricting smoking to individual businesses rather than a national law.