Abstract:
Results: Background: Smoke-free indoor air ordinances protect employees and customers from secondhand smoke exposure. As businesses and places of public accommodation increasingly consider implementing smoke-free policies, questions arise concerning the economic impact of such policies. Although a large number of previous studies have examined the economic impact of smoke-free policies in the hospitality industry, almost all of these studies were conducted in the areas of restaurants and bars. In Thailand, with more than 30 years of anti-smoking campaign,( and the 36"h country to ratify the FCTC), the regulation banning smoking in air-conditioned hotel lobbies was issued in late 2006 which probably raised substantial apprehension to those in the hospitality industry. A survey on the attitudes of tourists in Thailand for possible economic impact of the enact regulation banning smoking in air- conditioned hotel lobby was therefore conducted. Methods: The study was a cross-sectional survey of 5,550 travelers staying in various hotels in Bangkok, Surat Thani, Phuket, Krabi, and Songkhla provinces during the period from October 2005 to December 2006, with STATA 2 software descriptive statistics. Group comparison was made using analysis of variance, Student's t-test or Chi-Squared testing as appropriate. Secondhand cigarette smoke was recognized as harmful to health by 89.7% of the respondents. Almost half (47.8%) of the travelers were aware of the Thai regulation banning smoking in air-conditioned restaurants. With regards to their opinions on regulation banning smoking in air-conditioned hotel lobbies, the majority (80.9%) especially the female nonsmokers were agreeable. Moreover, 38.6% indicated that they would be more likely to visit Thailand again if there was such regulation, 53.4% indicated that the regulation would not affect their decision one way or another, and only 7.9% indicated that they would be less likely to visit Thailand again if there was such regulation. The groups that would be least likely to visit Thailand due to the regulation consists mostly of business entrepreneurs and unemployed groups, samples from Krabi site and the travelers from Spain, Hungary, Norway, Austria, the South American countries, Israel, Malaysia, Italy and the Republic of Korea in that order. In conclusion, the study supports the regulation banning smoking in air- conditioned hotel lobbies. Most travelers are in favor of the regulation. The reinforcement on the regulation might more likely result in larger numbers of returning travelers, which should lead to a more positive economic impact, as well as reducing the prevalence of smoking habits with subsequent protection of the surroundings against environmental tobacco smoke.
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