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Banning flavoured cigarettes may reduce Hong Kong’s appeal to visitors, lawmaker says

  • But senior health official rebuts his argument, saying tourists and business travellers may prefer a city with fresh air instead

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The government announced 10 new measures on Thursday to limit and reduce smoking in Hong Kong. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Banning flavoured cigarettes may reduce Hong Kong’s attractiveness to tourists and business travellers, a lawmaker has warned, but his comments were countered by a senior health official who said visitors might prefer fresh air instead.

Legislative Council member Peter Shiu Ka-fai, who represents the retail sector, urged the government on Friday to reconsider its expanded anti-smoking measures, saying a sizeable proportion of people worldwide – about 20 per cent – were smokers.

“Flavoured tobacco products are sold everywhere in the world, and if you don’t allow people to buy them here, it actually undermines their right to choose,” he told a radio programme, adding that the ban could deter foreigners who smoked from visiting.

“In the future, if we get to a point where we don’t allow smoking at all, will [travellers] avoid coming to Hong Kong? Or perhaps families might choose not to visit if a member smokes.”

Shiu acknowledged that while the new rules did not mean a complete ban on smoking, he pointed to Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau’s goal of making Hong Kong a smoke-free city in the longer term.

“The government hopes Hong Kong can eventually become a smoke-free city, which sounds great, but we should also consider the reality of the situation,” he said.

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