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To the Editor: Dr Glantz and Ms Charlesworth¹ reported that after smoke-free restaurant ordinances were enacted in California, the number of tourists traveling there from Japan increased. However, they failed to address several confounding factors, and the question remains whether implementation of such laws may actually increase the number of international tourists.

As shown in Figure 1,² the percentage of smokers in Japan has been decreasing slightly since 1995. This confounding factor may explain in part the result of the study. In fact, smoke-free American-style coffee shops have been gaining popularity, and their number has been increasing in Japan.

Figure appears in full text version. Figure. Smokers in Japan and Exchange Rate of Japanese Yen to US Dollar

The exchange rate, which exerts much influence on international tourism, is another confounding factor. Figure 1 illustrates the exchange rate of the Japanese yen to the US dollar during the last 12 years.³ The value of the . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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Tourism and Hotel Revenues Before and After Passage of Smoke-Free Restaurant Ordinances
Stanton A. Glantz and Annemarie Charlesworth
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