Taiwan faces self-service tobacco ban

Gavin Lipsith

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The island nation could soon implement a comprehensive ban altering the way tobacco is sold in its country's duty-free stores

European Travel Retail Council secretary-general and global tobacco campaign coordinator Keith Spinks told RavenFox.com that the Taiwanese government had approved the proposal two weeks ago. "We are trying to work out now whether there is anything we can do or whether it is a done deal," he said. "If it is passed into law, stores will only be able to sell tobacco behind the cashier."

Spinks added that he understood that tobacco companies were urging domestic and duty-free retailers to voice their concerns about the move. He referred to a similar decision taken recently in Queensland, Australia, which has meant that The Nuance Group's operation at Brisbane airport has had tobacco retail space restricted to 1m (3.21ft).

"Taiwan is not part of the World Health Organization or the United Nations," said Spinks, "but it is clearly following the example set by others in the region. Any move of this sort is bad news for the industry."

Keep an eye on RavenFox.com for more details as they emerge.