Tobacco Documents Online

~. Ne".4ork Co'nventiom and'Visvtors Bureau, Inc. M'AYOR EDWARD 1. KDCH; ,Honararyr CAa/rmen' Executive Committee ` C'flalrman PRESTON'ROBERT TISCHI PRESIDEN7. LLOEWS CORPORATION President CHARLES CILLETTi Vice Presidents MICHAEL BURKE PRE5IDENT' WADIS'ON SQUARE GARDEN CENTER: FRANK G. WANGEMAN SENIOR VICE PRESIDENY NILTON HOTELS'.CORPORATION Secretary-Treasuner EDWARDIOEBi VtCE'PRESIDENTi " CUE PUBLI5HING, COMPANT. FRANCIS J. BARRY' PRESIDENT CIRCLELINES' JERRY BERNS' WCE'.PRESIDENT' ••21•"CLUB, INC.G. S, EYSSELL REAL ESTATECQNSUL'TANT' DANIEL C. HICKEY' M'ARSCHALL ASSOCIATES, INC. ALLAN R. JOHNSON CHAIRMAN SAKS fiIFiHIAVENUE LAWRENCE LACHMANI CHAIRMAN . BCOOMINGDALE'B RQ?SEMARY' McMURTRY VICE PRESIDENT M:CCALLCOMPANY- 90' East ¢znd Street, New York, N.Y. 100 17 - 687_I,3oo' April 3', 1978 Honorable Manfred Ohrenstein New York State Senate •' Albany, New York 12'B24 Re: A. 8565-A, AN ACT'tolamend'the public , health, law, in relation to protecting the publ'ic health, comfort and environ- ment by prohibiting smoking in public places and at meetings of'the publlic except in designated'smoking areas.• Diear Sdnator~~ 0'hrenstein:~. .We are deeply concernediat the economic penalties wh'ich A. 85651-B', an act to amend~. the public health liawby prohibiting smokingin publicp1aces,an~d at meetings of the public except inidesign'a'ted- smoking areas, would have on the visitor indnstry.. Tourism is now established as New York City's lead- ing growth indu'stry', in larg,e part .thanks to the marketing programs of the New York Co!nvention and . Visitors Bureau. R'owever, ours is an extremely competitive industry and this proposed'legislation would handicap our sales efforts. More than one hundred cities throughout the nation have organizations similar to the New York Convention and''Visi'to'rs Bureau. These bureaus spend'mililions of dollars to tell potential visitors the virtues of thei'r particula'r locales. In' add'itiori, hundreds of'resorts are spending untold millions trying to attract these same people tolth'eir locations. I~n such~' a competit~i~ve~ atmosphere, legislation which would prohibit smoking in public places, such as,, restaurants, hotel lobbies, arenias,, aud!itoriums, Madison Square~~ Garde~n,, needlessly p~la~~c~es~ New:York~ at~ a disa'dvantage~ with~~ our~~ competitors whcn~ donot have such restrictio'n's. Ur>d!oubtedly, such infringe- ments withiniour state fly inithe face of the very i

s' Nq.wYoirk Convention and'V'isitors Bureau, Inc. Honorable Manfred ahrenstein. Page 2 April 3', 1'97'8 purpose of the tourisiniplromotion program which the New York State Legislature has fundedto attract visitor b~~usine~ss~~ to o~~ur~ st~alte~., ~ Provisions of the legislation requiring the hospitality industry'in the state to act as the arm of' the law by enforcing smoking and no smoking zones are not feasible. Chwners and managers of facilities would find it impossible to jeopardize customer relations by insisting upon strict compliance. The Department of'Health in New York City tried to enforce a resolution of July 19'7'4, restricting, smoking tocerta.in publicplaces,, and'~ that ef'fortproved un- successful. To require an industry which is s_6hsitive to the desires of its guests tolcontro]; social habits is undesirable and unwarranted~. -Local managers of hospitality establishments should not be denied the fliexibility to establish procedures which they 'feel adapt to the preferences af' their customers. The New -York Convention and Visitors Bureaw regards this legislation as impractical, infeasible and un- enforceable and urges the Legislatur to consider these negative ramifications in assessing,this pro- posed legislation. Sincerely, Charles Gillett Presid'ent bcc: 'Mr. Preston Robert Tisch