Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association Requests Exemption from Jakarta's Smoke-Free Zone Regulation

Concerns Over Economic Impact

The Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI) Jakarta chapter has formally requested that the Jakarta Regional People's Representative Council (DPRD) and the Jakarta Government reconsider the Draft Regional Regulation on Smoke-Free Zones (Ranperda KTR). The association's chairman, Sutrisno Iwantono, expressed concerns that the proposed regulation could have a detrimental effect on Jakarta's tourism, hospitality, and restaurant industries, which are not only strategic but also labor-intensive sectors in the capital city.

Key Requests and Proposed Exemptions

PHRI has welcomed the facilitation results by the Ministry of Home Affairs, which have been made transparently accessible to the public. The facilitation results have accommodated business stakeholders' aspirations by removing night entertainment venues from the smoke-free zone category and exempting hotels, restaurants, markets, and economic activity areas from the expanded smoke-free zones. Additionally, the total ban on cigarette advertisements in physical spaces has been lifted.

Rationale Behind the Request

Sutrisno emphasized that any regulation should be balanced, realistic, and not harmful to the business climate. He highlighted that the sectors represented by PHRI are crucial to Jakarta's economy and that the proposed regulation, if implemented without exemptions, could adversely affect these industries. The association believes that the exemptions suggested by the Ministry of Home Affairs strike a reasonable balance between public health concerns and economic considerations.