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Tourism ugly from lack of Americans
Universal Press Syndicate
| 6-14-2003
| Tad Bartimus
Posted on 06/14/2003 9:59:39 AM PDT by lilylangtree
CANAL DU MIDI, France--It's high summer in France: bikinis blossom on the beach at St. Tropez and lovers stroll in lingering twilight beneath the Eiffel Tower.
The only things missing from these postcard-perfect scenes are Americans.
Still fuming over French President Jacques Chirac's active opposition to the war in Iraq, Americans are taking out their ire by staying home or vacationing elsewhere.
"I doubt I'll ever set foot in France again," a hawkish friend from Kansas e-mailed me.
Other friends who are veterans echoed the same sentiment.
"France?" You couldn't pay me to go there!" snorted one.
Well, somebody did pay me to go to France, and so here I am, conducting a writing workshop arranged by Americans, for Americans, on a canal barge owned by a woman raised in America. As we cruise between Bordeaux and Provence we practically have the canal to ourselves. Barge trip bookings are off as much as 70 percent and fancy restaurants catering to American tourists are empty. The question on every merchant's lips is no longer "Where are they?" but "Will they ever come back?"
At least one of them did, when the No. 1 Yak recently dropped in for a short visit. President George W. Bush was in Evian for the G-8 summit of industrialized nations, but he landed and slept over the border in Switzerland. His refusal to meet one-on-one with Chirac and their frosty photo op did nothing to diffuse Americans' anger at France for refusing to join U.S., British and other coalition forces in toppling Saddam Hussein.
The fallout from this diplomatic quarrel with our oldest ally is causing economic pain in the country now disdainfully dismissed as part of "Old Europe" by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
Economic protest by their best-spending tourists is hurting the pocketbooks of bakers in Normandy, designers in Paris and three-star chefs in Provence.
"All our eggs are in the American basket and now Bush and Chirac have made an omelet out of them," said a French canal pilot.
While I sipped a smooth Bordeaux and ate aged camembert on a fresh baguette, a half-dozen crew members of various European nationalities lamented their lack of work.
"Our bookings are down 70 percent this season," said one barge owner, a British citizen. A marketing expert who works for a Burgundy vintner estimates her company's overseas sales are off by at least 15 percent, and will drop further "because people in America aren't buying French wine." Compounding their tourism woes is the fall of the dollar against the European Union currency.
However, there are bargains gallore in France as hoteliers and tour brokers try to salvage expenses.
Even the government--increasingly feeling the ire of its citizens for Chirac's arrogance and insults toward the Bush administration--is officially encouraging the unthinkable toward visitors. It's urging the French to say "BONJOUR!" with a smile.
TOPICS: Business/Economy; Foreign Affairs
KEYWORDS: bulge; champagne; chartres; eifeltower; france; french; frenchboycott; frogs; idiots; louve; normandy; notredame; tourism; travel; worldwarii; wwii
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To: lilylangtree
They want Americans back so they can have someone to thumb their noses at.
They would never dare do that to their Islamic neighbors and visitors, that would be "intolerant."
21
posted on
06/14/2003 10:26:01 AM PDT
by
Guillermo
(Proud Infidel)
To: Drango
Have you seen the new Woody Allen commerical, paid for by the French government; encouraging tourism in France by Americans? *L* That's just one more reason I will never set foot in that country.
22
posted on
06/14/2003 10:26:42 AM PDT
by
LisaAnne
To: lilylangtree
This isn't a snit. The fact is that the French, German, and Belgian leadership (with support of overwhelming majorities of their respective peoples) sided with tyranny against freedom, sided with terror against peace. We have seen this before out of Europe and we know where it leads.
23
posted on
06/14/2003 10:27:34 AM PDT
by
Faraday
To: lilylangtree
It doesn't pay to bite the hand that feeds you.
24
posted on
06/14/2003 10:28:32 AM PDT
by
nmh
To: lilylangtree
It's no wonder they chose Wood Allen to be their perverted poster boy for tourism. He split with his wife and then married their adopted daughter. The asian daighter is about half his age. Is that sick or what?
25
posted on
06/14/2003 10:30:07 AM PDT
by
nmh
To: lilylangtree
They don't miss us Americans, they miss American $$$$.
I laugh at their pain!
26
posted on
06/14/2003 10:32:19 AM PDT
by
LibKill
(MOAB, the greatest advance in Foreign Relations since the cat-o'-nine-tails!)
To: lilylangtree
The couple of Frenchies that I know don't feel at all punished. They feel vindicated.
Where are zee weah'pons of mass deestruck'sheeon????? they keep asking me.
Your presidant eez a liar... they say.
La France waz right et l'Amerique waz not... they insist.
To: lilylangtree
Get rid of Chirac, and my boycott will be off(unless the next guy is a bigger jerk).
28
posted on
06/14/2003 10:49:27 AM PDT
by
Dan from Michigan
(When someone tells me 'my way or the highway', I take the highway)
To: lilylangtree
Hear that?
It's the worlds tiniest violin playing, "My Heart Pumps Piss for Chirac".
29
posted on
06/14/2003 10:55:36 AM PDT
by
TC Rider
(The United States Constitution © 1791. All Rights Reserved.)
To: lilylangtree
This is the article I have been waiting to read. Tourism is big bucks for the frogs and the American boycott will get our message across better than anything else. May the loss be in the billions (dollars not francs).
To: nmh
It doesn't pay to bite the hand that feeds you. It doesn't pay to bite the hand that feeds you, because the hand that feeds you will turn around and bite the hand that fed it, because it does pay?
31
posted on
06/14/2003 10:58:06 AM PDT
by
7 x 77
To: LibKill
Tourism is far and away France's biggest industry -- ouch!
32
posted on
06/14/2003 11:00:19 AM PDT
by
7 x 77
To: lilylangtree
Phuque the Phrench
33
posted on
06/14/2003 11:02:31 AM PDT
by
Tall_Texan
(Why aren't we checking the DNC for WMDs?)
To: lilylangtree
Keith Richards said it best: "Paris would be great except for the Parisians" He said he couldn't go out for a day without being insulted by a Parisian at least once.
34
posted on
06/14/2003 11:03:16 AM PDT
by
proust
(Hello, Cthulhu!)
To: lilylangtree
Do you mean to tell me that those commercials, featuring Woody Allen talking about French-kissing his former live-in lover's adopted daughter, now his wife, are not doing the trick?
Go figure.
To: JSteff
Let them live off the tourist money from moslems... opps, there isn't any.If the French don't wake up soon, it will be the muslims running that country. Then there won't be any tourist money.
BTW, our tourist dollars went to the Hill Country of Southern Indiana. Wonderful part of OUR country.
36
posted on
06/14/2003 11:07:17 AM PDT
by
Missouri
To: lilylangtree
"Voulez-vous coucher avec moi, ce soir?"
FMCDH
37
posted on
06/14/2003 11:09:46 AM PDT
by
nothingnew
(the pendulum swings and the libs are in the pit)
To: nothingnew
"Voulez-vous coucher avec moi, ce soir?" Soul sister, soul sister, soul sister . . .
38
posted on
06/14/2003 11:12:35 AM PDT
by
7 x 77
To: 7 x 77
Hey! I wasn't addressing you. I ain't your soul sister. It was for Ms. Lilylangtree!...BWAHAHAHAHA!!!
FMCDH
39
posted on
06/14/2003 11:16:09 AM PDT
by
nothingnew
(the pendulum swings and the libs are in the pit)
To: DeFault User
uh, Francs are over
40
posted on
06/14/2003 11:17:23 AM PDT
by
breakem
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