The Greek islands of Rhodes, Crete and Zante are among many holiday destinations in Greece that will benefit from the smoking ban that is being brought forward to July 1st 2009 from its original introduction date of January 1st 2010. With smoking banned in public places across much of Europe already, Greece is one of a few countries yet to introduce the legislation that bans smoking in public places like restaurants, hotels and cafes. The fact that smoking is still allowed in these places at the moment comes as a surprise to many visitors of holiday destinations in Greece and has been seen as a significant disadvantage by tourist authorities.

Despite the fact that almost 45 % of the Greek adult population still smokes, the authorities are backing the scheme with all their weight, saying that there will no exceptions to the law and owners of bars and clubs could face fines of up to 1000 Euros if they fail to enforce the new legislation. Repeat offenders could face heavier fines of up to 20,000 Euros. The Greek government is promoting the scheme using statistics that include the 2.14 billion Euros annual cost of treating smoking-related illnesses and the 20,000 deaths caused annually in Greece from similar diseases.

The World Health Organistion said that Greece is almost unique in the European Union in that it imposes no age limit on the purchase of tobacco; another factor in the high levels of smoking in the country.

The new law is good news for tourists who are used to smoke-free restaurants, bars and cafes in their own countries. Despite some opposition, the authorities are expecting a smooth transition as has happened already in countries like Spain and Portugal where the changes were also heavily opposed initially.