The Generalitat Valenciana has lifted the ban on smoking on terraces thereby removing the latest restriction due to the coronavirus. In so doing the government, led by new President Carlos Mazón has brought the Community in line with state regulations, cancelling the temporary measure that waw still active, despite the end of the health crisis
From now on, it will be the bars, restaurants, cafeterias and other catering establishments in the Valencian Community who make the decision as to whether or not smoking their customers may smoke on their terraces.
The measure was agreed during a meeting, held on Wednesday at the Palau de la Generalitat, between President Carlos Mazón, the Minister of Health, Marciano Gómez, and the Minister of Innovation, Industry, Commerce and Tourism, Nuria Montes.
The measure had already been abolished in the rest of Spain, so its regulations are now brought in line with those across the remainder of the autonomous communities.
With this annulment of the restrictions, the Valencian Government is also responding to a demand from the hospitality sector, which will once again have the ability for each establishment to decide on whether or not they will allow smoking on their terraces.
The Valencian Community Leisure and Hospitality Coordinator (CEOH) has confirmed its support and satisfaction in the Consell’s decision to meet the demand of the hospitality sector regarding the need to eliminate the ban, taking into account note that the region was the only national territory across the whole of Spain in which this measure was maintained.
A spokesman for the CEOH said, “We are a tourist destination and the lack of knowledge of the regulations on the part of tourists and visitors, and the lack of support in terms of disseminating the regulations, has generated problems for hoteliers, on whom the fines fell. In this sense, it should be noted that the hotel industry serves a huge number of people from other communities and countries across Europe where this rule had been suspended at the end of the pandemic”.
