Forum on building a smoke-free environment and tourism

On May 9, the Provincial Steering Committee for Tobacco Harm Prevention organized a Forum on building a smoke-free environment and tourism.

Attending the Forum were representatives of the Tobacco Harm Prevention Fund, Ministry of Health; Center for Creative Initiatives in Health and Population (CCIHP); leaders of a number of provincial departments and branches and tourism service businesses in the province.

According to the report of the Provincial Steering Committee for Tobacco Harm Prevention and Control: Ninh Binh currently has over 700 tourist accommodation establishments with over 10,000 rooms. Through a survey in December 2023 by the Tobacco Harm Prevention Fund (Ministry of Health) on the level of compliance with regulations at establishments in Ninh Binh, it shows that: In most locations of food establishments and accommodation establishments, violations of the Law on Tobacco Harm Prevention and Control were observed.

The rate of passive smoking at these locations is still relatively high, with nearly 80% of customers passively smoking at restaurants and 65% passively smoking at hotels.

There are still many no-smoking signs in restaurants, accommodation establishments and public service points. Most restaurant and hotel owners are not really interested in implementing regulations on building a smoke-free environment. Therefore, violations of the Law on Prevention and Control of Tobacco Harms in hotels and restaurants are still common…

One of the solutions to reduce the harmful effects of cigarette smoke on non-smokers is to create a "Smoke-Free Environment".

Currently, in Ninh Binh, the Provincial Steering Committee for Tobacco Harm Prevention has been implementing the construction of a smoke-free environment, aiming to implement a smoke-free tourism environment in hotels and restaurants, contributing to creating a green - clean - smoke-free tourism environment that is friendly to tourists.

At the forum, delegates were introduced to the Law on Prevention and Control of Tobacco Harms, the decree on penalties and the current status of the implementation of the Law in Ninh Binh city; Instructions on implementing a smoke-free environment and learning about the results of some pilot models in Vietnam.

Delegates discussed the issue of building a smoke-free environment and tourism, thereby resolving difficulties and problems of tourism businesses in the process of applying the Law on Prevention and Control of Tobacco Harms, ensuring that the Law is implemented more effectively, while supporting the promotion of increasingly civilized and environmentally friendly tourism activities.

On this occasion, the Department of Tourism launched the movement "Ninh Binh smoke-free tourism" and organized representatives of restaurants and hotels to sign a commitment to implement it.