Tobacco Documents Online

7 0 NcNW'York Convcntvon andVisitors Bureau, Inc: .. MAYOR EDWARD 1. IQOCH, PlbnoraryrChairman Ezecutive Committee Chaliman PRESTON' ROBERT TaSCHI PRESIOENT. LOEWS CORPORATION Presfdent CHARLES GILLETT Vice Presidents MICHAEL BURKE PRESIDENT MADISON, SQUARE OARDEN CENTER FRA'NIC'G. WANGEMAN SENIOR V1CEPRESIDENTi NILTON HOTELSCO.RPORATION . Secretaryr-Treasurer EDWARDLOEB VICE'PRE'SIDENT CUEPUBi1SHIN0 COMPANY FRAtYC1S!Ji BARRI"' PRESIDENT~ CIRCLE~~. LINES~ JERRY BERNS' VICE PRESIDENT "21" CLUBy.INC. G. S. EYSSELL REAL.ESTATE':CONSULTANTDA'N1ELC: HICKEY WARSCHALL ASSOCIATES, INC.ALL'AN R. JOHNSON CNAfRMAN SANS'.FIFEH AVENUE. LAWRENCE LACHMAN CHA]RMAN: BLOOMINGDAL'E'S' " ROSEMARY, MCMURTRY VICE'.PRESIDENT' WCCALLCOMPANY' -. 9o E-Ist 42nd Street, New York^ N.Y. 100117 • 687-1300, April 3, 1978 Honorable Warren &T. Anderson New Yo~rk~ State ~5'ena~~te~ Albany, New York 12224 h R(--:, A. 85165-B, AN ACl" to amend the public health law, inirelation to protecting the public' h'ealth, comfort a:nd! environ- ment by prohiibiting smoking in public places and! at meetings of the public except in designatedd smoking areas. Dear Senator Anderson: We are deeply concerned at,the economic penalties which A. 3565-B', an act to amend the public health law by prohibiting smoking in public places and at meetings of the public except in designated smoking areas, would have onithe visitor industry. Tourism is now established as New York City''s 1ead- ing, growth indutry, in large part thanks to the marketing programs of the New York Convention and Visitors Bureau. However, 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 andiVisitors Bureau. These bureaus spend!millions of'd'ollars to tell potential visitors the virtues'f of'their particular locales. In ad'dition, hundreds of resorts are spending unto'ld mil'lions trying to attract these'same'peopletoltheirlocations. In such a competitive atmosphere, legislationiwhich would prohibit smoking in public places, such as,. restaurants, hotel lobbies, arenas,, au'ditoriiums, Madison 3quare Garden, needlessly places New York at a disadvantage with out competitors who, doinot have such restrictions~.U'ndoubtedly, such, infringe-ments within our state fly in the face of the ve,ry Ca1 I

i Mutiv York Convention andVvsitUrs Burcau, Inc. Honorable Warren M. Anderson P'age 2 Ap r il 3'„ 1978 purpose of'the tourlsm promotion program whichithe. New York State Legislature has funded to attract visitor businessto our state. Provisioins!olfthelegislatiomrequiring, the hospitality industry in the state to act as the arm of the law by enforcing,smoking andino smoking zones are not feasible. Owners and managers of f'ac.ilities would find it impossible to jeopardize customer relations by insisting upon strict compliance. - The Department of'Health in New York City triedito, enforce a resoluwtion of July 1974', restricting smoking to certain public places, and that effort proved un- successful. To require an ind'ustry which is sensitive to the desires of its guests to control social habits is undesirable and unwarranted. Local managers of' hospitality establishments should'not be denied the flexibility tolestablish procedures which they ieel adapt to~ the~pireference&of theircustomers- _ The New York Convent ioniand,Visitoirs Hureau regards this legislation as impractical, infeasible and un- enforceable and urges the Legislature to consider these negative ramifications in assessing this pro- posed legislation. Charles Gillett President bcc: W riI'r. Pireston Robert Tisch