When you’re enjoying a relaxing day at the beach, the last thing you want is the waft of cigarette smoke (or, arguably worse, being engulfed by a ‘blue raspberry’ vape cloud).
In certain destinations, that’ll no longer be an issue. Just a couple of weeks after this popular Spanish seaside city banned people from smoking on the beach, an entire Asian country – the Maldives – has decided to take things one step further: a blanket ban on smoking for all young people. Effective from Saturday, November 1, no one born on or after January 1, 2007 will ever be allowed to smoke or purchase cigarettes in the Asian archipelago.
This comes a year after the buying, selling, use, or possession of vapes and e-cigarettes was criminalised, so the Maldives is getting pretty serious about becoming a smoke-free zone. The health department has described the cigarette ban as a crucial step in creating ‘a tobacco-free generation’ and a ‘historic milestone in the nation's efforts to protect public health’.
Young tourists will also have to follow the new rules when they are on holiday, but officials are confident that the new restrictions won’t dent visitor numbers. A representative from the tobacco control board said that ‘people don't come to the Maldives because they're able to smoke. They come for the beaches, they come for the sea, they come for the sun, and they come for the fresh air’.
If you do want to buy some cigarettes – or any other tobacco-based product – on your next island adventure, you’ll probably be asked to show some proof of your age. If you don’t have ID on you, you could be turned away, even if you’re visibly over the age of 18.
Which other countries are cracking down on smoking?
The Maldives is the first country on Earth to ban smoking for an entire generation, but both the UK and New Zealand have attempted to introduce similar regulations. In New Zealand, the suggestion was thrown out when a new government took over back in 2023, but in the UK, the plans originally proposed by Rishi Sunak during his time as Prime Minister are still making their way through the pipeline to becoming law.
Elsewhere, France banned smoking in most public areas this year, particularly where children might be present.
This is the European country named the world's safest place to visit in 2026.
Plus: The countries with the strongest connection to nature, according to a new study.
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