>From the Daily Telegraph (UK) Disaster for tourism as US visitors shun Paris.

Tell me, why would any rational American want to go to a friendly country when they can go to France and get insulted? Tsk, tsk.

Millions of foreign tourists are shunning France this summer, costing the country billions of pounds and threatening its position as the world's favourite destination.

Travel agents say there is widespread evidence that the tourist industry is suffering as a result of President Jacques Chirac's vehement stand against the war in Iraq. The strong euro has added to the crisis.

Uh, no. Vehemence is not the problem. Does the phrase "we can disagree without being disagreeable" ring a bell?

Funny how gross insults, vandalising war memorials, and comparing President Bush to Hitler can get under some people's skin, not to mention being accused of being simple-minded warmongers who murder Iraqi babies while French companies make huge profits off the scandalous Oil-for-Palaces program and their favourite oil company makes a sweetheart exploitation deal with Saddam. All done as a sterling example of European enlightenment, of course.

According to the president of France's travel agents' union, Cesar Balderacchi, bookings from the United States in the past six months were 50 per cent down on last year, with no sign of improvement as the tourist season reaches its peak. British visitor numbers have fallen by around 10 per cent. (Emphasis added)
[...]

"After the Iraq crisis, many American tour operators just airbrushed France out of their brochures. Instead of offering a tour including Britain, France and Italy, say, we are now replaced by Spain," said M Balderacchi.

It's not like we airbrushed France off the map altogether, and, as it isn't on the list of "don't go there" countries on my passport, I think we can safely say that the destinations of American tourists reflects personal choice.

A brief tour of the centre of Paris yesterday confirmed his fears, with not a busload of camera-wielding Americans or Japanese to be seen. (Emphasis added)

So now Americans, British, and Japanese tourists are avoiding France.

"Where have all the Americans gone?" asked a gloomy waiter in a cafe next to Notre Dame.

Sounds like a promising opening line to a song. I'm sending it to Doggeral Pundit (which you should check out anyway for this.)

Oh yeah, topic. Although there is some merit to looking at the state of the dollar against the euro, a further snip of the article holds another clue to this shocking state of affairs:

In an editorial this week the newspaper Libération said the strength of anti-French sentiment across the Atlantic had been underestimated. "Convinced that the peace of the brave begins at the table, the French never really believed the Americans would fall out of love with them," it said. (Emphasis added)

Anti-French sentiment? and I'm not even going to bother commenting on the bolded section of that quote. Nope. Too damned easy.

To add to the tourist trade's woes, even the French are staying at home. According to a report published yesterday by the national tourist board, only half are taking breaks this summer and for shorter periods. Until recently, virtually the whole of France was on holiday in August. (Emphasis added)

Until recently, virtually the whole of France was at a dead stop when the transport workers et al. went on strike. Just sayin'.

Posted by: Debbye at 11:25 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 573 words, total size 4 kb.