More Americans say ‘oui’ to taking Paris vacations
December 13, 2004 - The Miami Herald
PARIS - It’s been a rough couple of years for transatlantic relations. Among the biggest casualties—tourism.
But the slump appears to be over. A recently released report shows that the number of Americans visiting Paris has climbed more than 10 percent over the past year.
‘‘The history between France and the U.S. is like a love story,’’ said Emmanuelle Fusiller, a deputy director at the French tourism ministry. “If we are sulking, it’s not for a long time.’‘
REPORT STATISTICS
The report, released by the Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau last week, compared tourism figures for the first nine months of 2004 with the same period in 2003. It shows that 1.1 million Americans visited Paris, an 11 percent jump, and a 4.4 percent increase in the number of nights they stayed.
The slide began after a banner year for American tourism in 2000, when more than 2.5 million Americans visited France.
But the numbers took a dive after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the drop in the value of the dollar and the war of words between the two countries over Iraq.
‘‘We had a series of dramas fall on our heads,’’ said Paul Roll, the managing director of the convention and visitors bureau.
Some of the reasons for the return of Americans to France have been the gradual relaxation of the tensions between France and the United States, the willingness of more Americans to again fly long distances, and the number of Americans who visited for the 60th anniversary of D-Day.
A few Parisians said many of the recent visitors are Americans from the so-called blue states, those that reliably vote for the Democratic candidate in presidential elections.
‘‘Most of our American clients have not been happy about [President Bush’s reelection],’’ said Aurore Jarretie, who works in the popular Marais district at the Hotel des Chevaliers, “but I haven’t talked to all of them.’‘
Some Americans visiting Paris said they don’t expect to bump into many Bush supporters touring the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre or sipping a glass of wine at restaurants along the Champs Elysées.
‘‘I think the majority of Bush supporters are not coming here,’’ said John Grazed, a tourist from Ambler, Pa., who came for a 10-day visit with his partner Dennie Halbers.
‘‘When we went into Iraq, many of the people I work with were very angry with the French,’’ said Halbers, “and they’ve stayed angry.’‘
Maryland resident Tom Black and his wife Carol said a number of their friends questioned why they were coming to Paris when they told them about their plans for a five-day trip.
‘‘I wanted to see if the French hated us as much as people say they do,’’ said Carol Black.
CHANGING PERCEPTIONS
The Blacks echo a perception among many U.S. citizens that there’s a strong anti-American sentiment in France. Yet, most anti-American ire here doesn’t go beyond the Bush administration.
‘‘Here in France, [the anti-Americanism] was never a person-to-person sentiment but more of a government problem,’’ said Roll of the convention and visitors bureau. “Visitors arrive with a bit of apprehension, but it dissipates after a couple of hours.’‘
