Spain Moves to Ban Smoking at Ski Resorts Under New Tobacco Law

Spain's ski resorts could soon be smoke-free

Spain's Council of Ministers has approved the country's biggest tobacco law reform in more than a decade, extending the smoking ban to a long list of outdoor spaces including bar and restaurant terraces, beaches, public pools, national parks, and sports venues.

Ski resorts count as sports venues, and the Spanish winter sports outlet Nevasport reports the ban is expected to apply there too - potentially covering not just slopeside terraces but the slopes and lifts themselves.

Vapes and e-cigarettes included, nicotine pouches exempt

The new rules don't stop at conventional cigarettes. E-cigarettes, vapes, herbal smoking products, and devices that mimic smoking would all be treated the same as cigarettes in smoke-free zones, regardless of nicotine content. Nicotine pouches are exempt from the smoke-free zone rules since they don't produce smoke or vapour, though they'd remain off-limits to minors.

The government says the goal is to stop young people taking up smoking through vaping and newer nicotine products - a Spanish study found almost half of 14 to 18 year olds have already tried an e-cigarette.

Still a draft, with France as the likely model

The text doesn't yet spell out exactly how the ban would work on slopes and lifts, but Spanish winter sports media expect rules similar to France, where smoking has been banned in ski resorts - including on slopes, lifts, and terraces - since 2025. If the bill clears the Cortes Generales, businesses would have two months to put up signage, likely at valley stations, lifts, terraces, and other busy areas, and minimum fines for violations would rise to 200 euros.

Several parties in parliament have questions about the changes, including the impact on the hospitality industry, so passage isn't guaranteed. If it does pass, the law would take effect twenty days after publication in Spain's Official Gazette.