South Korea is expanding the number of vaping-only lounges to accommodate the growing popularity of e-cigarettes, reports Korea Bizwire.
E-cigarette-exclusive lounges have emerged at airports and commercial hubs, catering to vapers who wish to avoid the strong odors and cramped conditions of traditional smoking booths.
Incheon Airport, for instance, has converted three existing smoking areas to vaping-only lounges by, among other things, removing ashtrays.
According to the airport, these lounges serve an average of 4,000 users daily, with a satisfaction rate of 4.2 out of 5, as measured by a September survey. Incheon Airport is the only top-10 international airport to provide exclusive e-cigarette smoking lounges.
“We prioritized convenience for both traditional and e-cigarette smokers by considering accessibility and foot traffic in our lounge locations,” an airport spokesperson said.
Lotte World Tower offers dedicated e-cigarette areas, as do shopping centers like Starfield Suwon and Starfield City Wirye. Local governments in districts such as Gangnam and Seongdong have also piloted separate smoking booths for traditional and e-cigarette users.