‘Rookverbod desastreus voor horeca’
Vertegenwoordigers van de Belgische horeca, die op uitnodiging van de Belgische minister van Volksgezondheid DeMotte een bezoek hebben gebracht aan Ierland en Italië zijn met precies de tegenovergestelde conclusies teruggekomen dan wat de minister had gehoopt.
Rookverboden in de horeca zouden volgens de horeca 40.000 banen kosten in hun sector en ook verder desastreuze financiële gevolgen hebben.
However, Belgian landlords have concluded their country is more vulnerable to the change. “What we saw was an increase in turnover on food and a decrease on drinks turnover,” said Yvan Roque, vice-president of the Horeca [Hotels, Restaurants and Cafes] Federation in Brussels.
“However, since food in cafes only counts for 20 percent of the overall turnover, we are talking about an overall loss of 4.5-9 percent. That’s enormous in relation to the profit margins in the industry in Belgium and would lead to a number of bankruptcies and closures.”
At the moment, the Horeca sector employs more than 500,000 workers in 55,000 businesses, generating EUR 588 million in VAT for the state.
“In 2002, the industry created 62 percent of new jobs. All these statistics show, at the very least, the need to start serious evaluations before taking a decision,” said Roque.
