Part of the beauty of traveling to a place like Hawaii is to suck in all that fresh, sweet, healthy, tropical air.
Unfortunately, this isn’t very easy to do when the beachgoer next to you is puffing on a cigarette and polluting the air like the guy in the photo above.
I am relieved to discover that this will no longer be the case. On November 16, the Smoke-Free Hawaii Law finally kicked into gear.
The law, which prohibits smoking in all public places, has remained very controversial, however. Smokers are naturally upset about the ban, but so are tourism officials and workers who depend upon tourism for a living. This is because Hawaii is a very popular destination for Japanese vacationers. And 45% of Japanese men smoke.
Will this new law have a detrimental affect on tourism and the amount of revenue that the Japanese demographic brings to Hawaii?
It is too early to tell.
Will it make Hawaii more enjoyable for avid non-smokers like myself?
Hell yes!