Several restaurants in Doha’s Katara Cultural Village have complained they have lost customers as a result of a partial ban on shisha smoking in the area.
Sales have dropped by up to 50 percent since the ban was introduced by Katara authorities in January, some claimed.
Katara Cultural Village management have banned local restaurants and cafes from serving shisha to limit the damaging health effects of smoking – although two eateries continue to offer the service in a limited fashion, according to Doha News.
A supervisor at Armenian-Lebanese restaurant Mamig told the newspaper: “Since [the ban] our sales (have been) down by around 40 to 50 percent.” The new rules are also destroying the atmosphere of the restaurants and the rest of the Katara area, where young people go after a busy day to unwind, smoke and chat, he said.
However, health researchers argue that shisha contains far more tobacco than regular cigarettes and is 10 times worse for smokers.
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