Impending Smoking Ban in Bali Allows Flexibility

On a recent domestic departure and arrival at Bali's Ngurah Rai International Airport, I was struck by two things--construction and smoke. The airport is in the process of a major expansion and upgrade, so what was once a simple curbside drop-off has become a snaking walk through hordes of tourists and construction barriers.

Also striking was the intense waft of cigarette smoke collecting in clouds among those waiting just outside the domestic terminal. I tried to hold my breath as my family negotiated our path through the crowds of smokers to safely breathable oxygen on the other side.

In the name of public health, Bali's lawmakers have proposed a ban on smoking in public to take effect June 1, 2012. 

This ban would allow for flexibility insofar as some hotels, restaurants and other public places would be designated as "smoking" while others "non-smoking", with a color code system to differentiate fully "smoke free" spaces from those with designated areas allowing smoking.

Most Indonesian men smoke, so even a partial ban could potentially cause an uproar. How effectively the ban will be enforcement at the airport, as elsewhere, is still a question.