Tobacco Documents Online

A Statement By Charles Gill!ett President, New York Convention and Yisitors Bureau Prohibiting Smoking in Public Places N'e are deeply concerned at the economic penalties that S.196'8'-A[ A.2746'-A~, an act to:amen~~d the~pub~ilic.~health law~by~p~~rohibitin~g smoking in public places and at meetings of the public excert irn designated smoking areas, would have on the visitor industry. Tourism is now established as New York City''s leading growth industry„-in large part thanks to the marketing,programs of the New York Convention and Visitors Bureau. Bowever,, ours is an ex- people to their locations, resorts are spending,untold miilions trying tolattract these same the virtues of their particular locales. In addition, hundreds of .Ti'hese bureaus spend millions of dollars to tell potential visitors More than one hundred cities throughout the nation have organi- zations similar to the New York Convention and Visitors Bureau. tremely competitive industry and this proposed legislation would handiicap our sales efforts. In su~chi a competit~ive~~ atm~osp~~he re~~,, legislation which wou~ld d prohibit smoking in public places, such as, restaurants„ hotel lobbies, arenas, auditoriums, Madison Square Garden, needlessly places New York at a disadvantage with our competitors who do C QJ not have such restrictions. Undo!ubted'I ~y, such infringements ~ Cl1, within our state fly in the face of the very purpose of the 0 C1^ tourism promotion program which the New York State Legislature Cj

2. as funded to attract visitor business to our state. Provisions of the legislation requiring the hospitality .iradustrg in the state to act as the arm of'the law by enf©rcing, smoking and no smoking,zones are not feasible. Owners and'managers of facilities would find it impossible to jeopardize customer relations by insisting upon strict compliance. Ta require an industry which, is sensitive to the desires of its guests tolcontrol social habits is undesirable and unwarranted. Local managers of hospitality establishments shouldinot be denied the flexibility to establish procedures which they feel adapt to the prefe,rences of their customers. The New York Convention and Visitors Bureau regards this legislation-as impractical, infeasible and unenforceable and urges the Legislature to consider these negative ramifications in assessing this proposed legislationi.