The Ningxia Night Market (寧夏夜市) in Taipei wants to become the nation’s first non-smoking night market, planning to ban smoking by as early as October, according to the Ningxia Night Market Tourism Association.
In recent years, Ningxia Night Market has built up a reputation to rival Shilin Night Market (士林夜市). One of its initiatives has been having food stands make calorie content and ingredient information available as a healthy reminder for customers.
Association director Tim Lin (林定國) said numerous meetings had been held regarding the proposed non-smoking policy and the majority of vendors agreed to the idea.
However, some vendors in the commercial district have expressed concerns about the effectiveness of the policy.
A beverage stand owner surnamed Ho (何) said that while the policy would project a positive image for the night market and promote hygiene, she worried that vendors and shop owners would face difficulties dissuading foreign visitors from smoking, especially Chinese.
Violators who refuse to pay a fine are also a potential problem, she said.
The preliminary plan proposes to allocate smoking areas near both ends of the night market and erect large signs carrying non-smoking notices in different languages.
In addition, before any fines are imposed, Taipei Department of Health agents are to scout the market and urge smokers to head to the allocated smoking areas and continue shopping after they finish smoking.
Citing the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act (菸害防制法), which stipulates that people who smoke in a non-smoking area risk a fine of between NT$2,000 and NT$10,000, the head of the department’s health promotion division Lin Li-ju (林莉茹) said that foreign nationals who breach regulations are also punishable under the act.
However, she said that there are not yet any regulations dealing with foreigners who leave the country without paying the fines.
She said that the department would ask travel agencies to help promote the policy after it is officially introduced.
Lin also said that administrators of the Shida Night Market (師大夜市) in Daan District (大安) have said that they would follow suit with a non-smoking policy if it proves successful.
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