On Monday electronic cigarette manufacturer Gamucci opened a 323 square foot ‘vaping zone’ in the International Departures Lounge at Heathrow Terminal 4, next to luxury brand and duty-free shops. It is currently the only indoor area in which passengers can smoke e-cigarettes.

E-cigarettes are odourless and do not produce smoke but instead emit a similar-looking vapour, and have therefore eliminated the issue of  the health risks associated with passive smoking which,  (among other things), was the primary concern of the non-smoker. It’s also not as uncommon as you may think with figures from the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) showing that e-cigarette consumption has grown rapidly, with an estimated 1.3 million users in 2013

So with one of the busiest airports in the world leading the way in embracing the habits of the 21st century traveller will this lead the way for other players in the travel market to do the same?

While the majority of those Skyscanner surveyed favoured “vaping zones” within airports, only one in five said that the use of e-cigarettes should be allowed anywhere in the airport building and Gatwick airport currently states on its website FAQs: “Smoking of e-cigarettes is not permitted anywhere in the terminal building”.

Though I fail to see why a personal, quiet, odourless pastime, which presents no threat or harm to others in the vicinity should be outlawed but that’s just my opinion, that same description could be applied to someone reading a book and we’d be silly to think of outlawing that right?

So back to my initial point, it begs the question that if cigar smoking is currently permitted on cruise ships does it not make sense to provide comfortable, indoor areas for people to participate in an e-cigarette?

Do you enjoy an e-cigarette? A you a non-smoker who would rather see the practise outlawed altogether?

Let me know what you think.