Australian Smoking Ban Causes Drop in Patrons
At midnight AEST on July 1st, the law banning smoking in entertainment venues such as bars, clubs, taverns, pubs and gaming areas was implemented in Australia. In reaction, hoteliers stressed that the new anti-smoking laws already posed an immediate dent to patronage over the weekend.
Exchange Hotel manager Alistair Cole told the media during interviews that their numbers over the weekend had a very noticeable drop compared to the month-to-date numbers. "It (the numbers) was a much lower total than the previous weeks," Cole said. Cole noted the numbers only prove that smokers are indeed staying away from where they cannot puff a cigarette.
"Well, we've definitely seen an impact," Cole was emphatic. Still, he expressed hope that the numbers will improve. What is undeniable, however, is that the smokers are wary of going to places where they can be arrested for a lifelong vice.
Meanwhile, anti-smoking organizations continued to insist that smoking bans should be good for people in hospitality businesses, aside from the fact that smoking bans works well for the environment and public health.
However, business researchers are still collecting information as to the real and potentially lasting effect of the new law on anti-smoking habits. So far, the business researchers are saying that the smoking ban is not helping the hospitality or entertainment venues.