Chinese mainland tourists and travel agencies said they would not shun Hong Kong despite its new smoking ban.

The Chinese mainland has an estimated 350 million smokers.

From January 1, Hong Kong the No 1 outbound tourism destination for mainland travelers banned smoking in most public places.

Under Hong Kong's new laws, smoking will be illegal in all indoor workplaces and public venues serving customers of all ages, including restaurants, parks and beaches.

Exemptions are only given to places catering to adults over 18 such as bars, saunas, nightclubs and mahjong parlors until mid-2009.

Those who violate the new laws could face a maximum fine of HK$5,000 (US$ 642).

"The ban will not influence our business," said Liang Yuan, manager of the marketing department, China Travel International. She said aside from Hong Kong, a few European countries and Singapore have similar bans.

"Laws in Singapore are even stricter than that in Hong Kong. The sale of tour products to these places has not suffered because of the bans," she said.

To non-smokers, the ban is welcome news. "It makes Hong Kong an even more pleasant place to travel," said Xiao Hua, who will be visiting the special administrative region this month.

For heavy smokers, the tour to Hong Kong would not be unbearable, Liang said. As smoking is still allowed in some places, local tour guides will tell travelers where it is permitted and where it is not, she said. "I believe visitors understand the rules and will obey them."

To avoid unnecessary trouble overseas, most major travel agencies brief their customers on the rules and regulations of the countries they intend to visit.

Du Ping, marketing staff with the China International Travel Service Head Office in Beijing, said the smoking ban in Hong Kong would be made known to travelers.

"Major travel agencies since last year have been stressing to travelers the importance of watching their behavior overseas," she said.

This is in response to the tourism administration's call for people to be better behaved when visiting other countries.

In the first half of last year, the unfriendly behavior of some mainland tourists while overseas have been reported by the media. This provoked a heated discussion among the masses on how to guard the nation's image.

The new Hong Kong regulation has already dealt a hard blow to Chinese restaurants, which are often frequented by mainland businessmen.

Lee, a supervisor of the Super Seafood Hotpot Restaurant in Tsuen Wan, said there has been a marked drop in customers since the ban came into effect.

"It used to be full house at dinner time and you could hear many local and mainland businessmen striking deals over cigarettes and wine in the function rooms," Lee said. "Now they simply don't come to our restaurant."

The ban has also taken its toll on restaurants in the popular tourist areas.

Wu, a staff member of Wong Chi Kei Noodles and Congees in Lan Kwai Fong, Central, said there had been a slight drop in business in the past few days.

"Most mainland visitors are very co-operative, though, when they see the "No Smoking" signs on the walls," Wu said.

(China Daily January 4, 2007)