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Celine Sun

Hongkongers are visiting restaurants and karaokes more often and for longer since  the city-wide smoking ban came into force in January, a survey has found.

Of the 1,452 respondents, almost 30 per cent said they dined out more often and 17 per cent said they went to karaoke more frequently since the smoking ban was implemented.

Only one in 10 people - mostly smokers - said they went less to these places in the past four months.

Up to  30 per cent of respondents said they stayed longer and spent more money in karaokes or restaurants, against around 10 per cent who tended to leave the venues sooner and consume less.

The survey was carried out through phone interviews last month by the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong.

DAB legislator Li Kwok-ying said the smoking ban had proved a boom to restaurants and other entertainment venues.

'If we look at the whole picture, the profit brought by non-smokers has fully compensated for the negative influence caused by the loss of smokers,' he said. 'Furthermore, we can also see that the industry has actually taken advantage from the anti-smoking policy.'

According to the survey, nearly one in three smokers had lit  up in no-smoking areas in the past four months, but only 21 per cent of them were stopped at the scene or received summonses  afterwards.

Mr Li urged  the government to review the enforcement measures by  stepping up training for frontline staff  and offering more professional consultation and medical treatment for those wanting  to quit smoking.

Of the smokers questioned, half  said they intended to quit smoking, with only 8 per cent wanting to seek help from the government or other anti-smoking organisations.

Some 40 per cent of smokers believed   services for smokers wanting to quit failed to meet the demand.

As of last Sunday, the Tobacco Control Office had issued 428 summonses to people lighting up in no-smoking areas.

These included 165  issued at game centres, 70 at shopping malls, 56 at eateries, 53 in parks and 158 at other indoor places.  The office's anti-smoking hotline had  received more than 7,000 inquiries.

About 160 cases have so far gone  to court  with fines  ranging from HK$200 to HK$1,500 being handed down to offenders.

Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health chairman Homer Tso Wei-kwok  said  it would  take some time for more citizens to adapt to the new  law.

'Education is much more important than punishment in anti-smoking work,' he said. 'With huge demand for  smoke-quitting these days, I think the government should put more resources into this area.'

People caught smoking in no-smoking areas can be fined up to HK$5,000.

Money to burn

As of last Sunday the number   of summonses issued by the   Tobacco Control Office 428



Smoking ban boosts trade at restaurants