CAIRO: British American Tobacco, Egypt (BAT) signed a memorandum of understanding with the South Sinai governorate to provide hotel, restaurant and café patrons in Sharm El-Sheikh with designated smoking and non-smoking areas.

Under the framework of BAT’s global “Respecting Choices” initiative, the campaign will see some 200 hospitality staff in the city trained on the proper procedures regarding smoking in public places, including ventilation methods and area designation.

“As a major global holiday destination, and the first Green City in Egypt, we feel that we must do all we can to ensure that various options are available to all guests,” said Mohamed Hani Metwalli, South Sinai governor.

Through this project, clear signage will be placed in outlets directing both non-smokers and smokers to their respective areas.  Staff will also undergo training sessions by BAT prior to the launch, in order to ensure that they are able to understand the policies, explain them and properly enforce them.

“We believe that it is through initiatives such as these that we, along with the government, are best able to accommodate non-smokers and smokers, while at the same time tackling the issue of ETS [environmental tobacco smoke],” said Beverley Spencer-Obatoyinbo, general manager of BAT Egypt.