There has recently been in France the curious sight of crowds gathered outside the local bars and restaurants. Are the bar workers on strike and picketing their places of work? Has the Campaign for Real Ale reached France? Well, actually it is just the introduction of phase two of the anti-smoking regulations which from the new year have applied to cafés, restaurants, etc.!
So, in the depth of winter we see the hardened smokers having to walk outside for a puff. That seems no great hardship and does mean that everyone can enjoy smoke-free air while enjoying a drink. Of course there has been the expected outcry - particularly from bar owners in rural areas complaining that this will see the end of country bars which tend to be the social centre of smaller isolated communities. Perhaps it is worth bearing in mind, though, that many rural bars also double as the village tabac (tobacconist)!
We have also heard comments that this could affect tourism! Perhaps the classic Gallic image has been one of Gitane-smoking French philosophers in fashionably hazy bars - and perhaps that has been seen as a haven for overseas visitors escaping smoking restrictions at home.
However, my guess is that for every tourist put off by the new atmosphere of café society, there will be two more savouring the lack of ashtrays and smoke. And the biggest surprise of all - apparently the smoking ban is supported by about 70% of the French people! Of course there is no ban on smoking on the open-air terraces or at pavement tables which certainly abound here in the sunny South and in a region that has 300 days of sun, perhaps life will not be so tough for smokers here. I can't really imagine these new regulations impacting much on tourism. What about expats - would such regulations affect your decision to relocate to a particular country, one way or the other?
Anyway, to keep things in proportion, let's hope that the whole PC thing does not go too far - they'll be banning alcohol from bars next... in fact, I couldn't get a drink in the local bar the other evening - but that was because the barman was outside having a smoke...
So, in the depth of winter we see the hardened smokers having to walk outside for a puff. That seems no great hardship and does mean that everyone can enjoy smoke-free air while enjoying a drink. Of course there has been the expected outcry - particularly from bar owners in rural areas complaining that this will see the end of country bars which tend to be the social centre of smaller isolated communities. Perhaps it is worth bearing in mind, though, that many rural bars also double as the village tabac (tobacconist)!
We have also heard comments that this could affect tourism! Perhaps the classic Gallic image has been one of Gitane-smoking French philosophers in fashionably hazy bars - and perhaps that has been seen as a haven for overseas visitors escaping smoking restrictions at home.
However, my guess is that for every tourist put off by the new atmosphere of café society, there will be two more savouring the lack of ashtrays and smoke. And the biggest surprise of all - apparently the smoking ban is supported by about 70% of the French people! Of course there is no ban on smoking on the open-air terraces or at pavement tables which certainly abound here in the sunny South and in a region that has 300 days of sun, perhaps life will not be so tough for smokers here. I can't really imagine these new regulations impacting much on tourism. What about expats - would such regulations affect your decision to relocate to a particular country, one way or the other?
Anyway, to keep things in proportion, let's hope that the whole PC thing does not go too far - they'll be banning alcohol from bars next... in fact, I couldn't get a drink in the local bar the other evening - but that was because the barman was outside having a smoke...
