 Poster: A snowHead
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(BBC 2003)
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France, one of the world's biggest tourist destinations, is struggling this summer to cope with a number of adverse conditions. Tourists have been staying away in droves.
Figures just released for July - an important month for the tourism sector - show that visitor rates are down by an average of 20% on 2002 |
That was last year. One central problem, reports say, is the drop in American visitors, who are staying away because of the Franco-US rift over the war on Iraq and a weak dollar. Signs are that there's not much of an improvement this year. Anti-American feeling persists, reignited over the torture controversy, but as this Expatica article suggests, it's not as bad as some make out.
Ski tourism generally has been pretty stagnant in recent years, with Europeans themselves hardly flocking to the pistes. With the threat of shorter seasons, how will this affect the resorts?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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March 2003, above Belle Plagne, the big SNOW PARK sign was rearranged to read
NO WAR. The US invasion was bad enough in many peoples' eyes and subsequent events in the occupation phase have not helped. Disbanding an army without first disarming it was not too bright. Then Abu Ghuraib........ and that's only what we know about. How much more has been suppressed ?
Their best move was to hand over 'sovereignity' 2 days early. About the only clever thing done there to date.
And I suspect the Americans will see a drop in skiing visitors from Europe to US next season given the increasingly strict visa rules for entry or transit. So bad news for the resorts all round.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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It's interesting that perception of one nation by another on this issue seems based on the latter's government policy and not the opinion of that nation's people. After all, the Spanish population was more anti-war than anywhere else in the west, as far as I know, yet their recent election results were seen merely as a capitulation to terror.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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The poltics wont really affect where i decide to go..........the french beat us in the football but i'll still go there next year........well we will have to see how the 6 nations rugby fares first though! 
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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To paraphrase John Steinbeck, I love the people of all countries, but dislike the governments of all countries.
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PG, I have hd very little problems booking overnight stays in hotels in the usual American haunt of Champagne. I usually have difficulty. Although all are reporting being busy at that time of year, all were able to give me what I wanted. Previous years haven't been as easy. There were also very few Americans in Loire Valley. Only ones we came across were in hotel right next to Chenonceaux.
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Given that only some 17% of Americans have a passport and many have never crossed their county line far less indulged in foreign travel, we should not be surprised at significant fluctuations in US tourist numbers overseas. The ones who do travel long haul can afford to be selective in their choice of destination and most won't go where they feel threatened in any way. There is a tale about even some of the Caribbean cruise trade being badly affected at the time of the 1st Gulf War because it was taken to be the Gulf of Mexico. The only one they knew! Terrorism is a real threat everywhere - witness Madrid and Bali - and who can blame people who elect to stay at home. Hamburger-eating aggressor monkeys.
On topic, PG's question is how will it affect the resorts ? Do many Americans come to Europe for wintersports holidays ? Anyone know the figures ?
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Here's a company still trying to persuade Americans to ski in Europe.
Last edited by After all it is free  on Thu 12-08-04 18:40; edited 1 time in total
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Martin Bell, Knowing kuwait_ian, I'm sure his remark was tongue in cheek.. If anyone knows what the Kuwaitis felt like 14 years ago, he should by now!
Actually, as aggressor monkeys go, I reckon the English take some beating in 'recent' history... at least, until we started to lose too often for our taste, and pulled up the drawbridge...
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PG, I agree, Britain didn't get hold of an Empire that big by trading beads!
Last edited by Ski the Net with snowHeads on Thu 12-08-04 18:40; edited 1 time in total
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Martin Bell, 'Old' money, as it's quaintly described. Many an established family owes its current wealth to our ancestors' dealings in slaves and sugar - which created the foundations of the first British Empire. But of course, we don't like to talk about that, and it doesn't figure too prominently in the average student's GCSE history course book!
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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To paraphrase John Steinbeck, I love the people of all countries, but dislike the governments of all countries.
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skanky, I'd take it even further, wouldn't it be great if we could dispense with this artificially-created concept of "countries" entirely?
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wouldn't it be great if we could dispense with this artificially-created concept of "countries" entirely?
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Wouldn't it be a bit confusing in sporting competitions? Instead of "Come on, Engerland", would we have to shout "Come on you lot dressed in the white shirts with the 3 lions on them"? Bit of a mouthful......
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You know it makes sense.
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maggi, but surely, even now, they do that in the terraces with "come on you reds", etc. I mean, Liverpool FC, or SCUM Utd aren;t made up of many players from the respective towns?
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Last season, over three weeks on French slopes, I don't I met any Americans.
In previous years I'm sure they were common plaice.
Still, plenty more fish in the sea
Lot more Russians about these days.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Martin Bell, TKS for the links. <<<<<< Edit - Martin has been doing some extensive editing in this thread on 12th Aug. Links are gone and several other discussion points below have become non sequiturs. >>>>>
Enjoyed the second. And the 3rd brought back memories of waking up on the day of the Iraqi invasion listening about it on the BBC WS and hearing the bangs LIVE !!!!!! We didn't have internet, mobile phones and forums in those days. 'Steam Radio' and CNN were the only things working. My area telephone exchange had been rocketed (about the only time Saddam used an aircraft effectively) so even landline calls were down.
Hamburger Eating Aggressor Monkeys was a troll.
Remember - - - It ain't friendly fire if it's coming your way.
admin, Russians - new kids on the block and not just for snowsports holidays. Try changing a $100 bill in a French resort. Difficult. The 'Russians' flooded the 'market' with counterfeits. Parts of the Middle East have had huge numbers of visitors from the former USSR in the last 10 years.
Taverna menus in Cyprus are now in Greek, English & Russian
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Sat 14-08-04 10:23; edited 1 time in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Martin Bell, I said a similar thing a while ago about getting rid of the concept of the "foreigner".
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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I heard an England fan in Portugal (on the TV) refering to the locals as "Bloody Foreigners" !
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I believe all men have equal rights, and that includes the right to live wherever you want to on this planet. If South Americans want to go and live in North America, if Eastern Europeans want to go live in Western Europe, if Africans want to live in Asia, that's fine by me. (Just as long as they don't start killing each other - but that's usually caused not by racial differences themselves, but by religion, fascism or some other indoctrination that exploits those differences.)
Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Thu 12-08-04 18:48; edited 1 time in total
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| Martin Bell wrote: |
| Although this is what the French Tourist Board is up against! |
Depressing stuff. Wonder how many of these people have even been to France. Or know where it is, come to that.
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I wonder if there are similar (God forbid) anti-US websites. I've never heard any anti US or UK views from any of my neighbours and I've had homes in France for more than 20 years. The only views I've heard expressed since the Iraq invasion have been anti-war, the vast majority of which have been questioning as to how we could get involved.
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Of course.
Last edited by Then you can post your own questions or snow reports... on Thu 12-08-04 18:53; edited 1 time in total
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"To travel hopefully is better than to arrive."
Last edited by After all it is free on Thu 12-08-04 18:52; edited 1 time in total
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Martin Bell, Few French are stupid enough to tar an entire people with the same brush, in my experience. Anti-Bush, anti-US policy maybe, but no more. I've very rarely heard a negative comment about Americans - or Brits come to that - in many years of living in France on a permanent basis. The French on the other hand are a little bewildered by the rancour they perceive to be coming in the other direction!
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PG, well sad to say, there are bigots everywhere.
Last edited by Ski the Net with snowHeads on Thu 12-08-04 18:49; edited 1 time in total
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Martin Bell, if the author could actually speak English it might help his cause!
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| In fact, during World War II French authorities actively corroborated with the Nazis during their occupation and deported 75,000 Jews to concentration camps in Germany and elsewhere. |
But what a load of nonsense. Worthy of the Daily Mail (a bit wordy for the Sun).
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| Martin Bell wrote: |
I find that within the continental US, the septics travel a lot - possibly more than in any other industrialised nations, and will think nothing about packing up their belongings in a UHaul, towing the car behind, and moving 1000 miles for a new job. Here in Colorado, probably less than 20% of the population were born here.
Or was that just another "trawl" of yours - Cod forbid! |
Interesting point, I never know what to make of that. I work for an American company in Switzerland and before that for another in Germany. The Americans based here are very atypical though. My US based colleagues behave just like you say though.
What I find curious is that there's probably less aversion to actual traveling than in Europe, like you say many Americans move around a lot. That being the case then arguably it's purely the culture challenge involved in crossing a national border that stops them.
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I'm keeping my head down, but this septic likes France, Europe and the Alps and has had a passport since he was born. But truthfully I’m happy not to have to share the slopes with ill-educated social xenophobes who believe that cheeze(sic) comes in a can! Or worse! – that Americans invented lager . . . I could go on . . . and probably will . . . but I’ve met so many that tick every box on the stereotype checklist that I despair of meeting a fellow countryman that comes close to understanding that ‘culture’ is something you learn to respect from others and not something to be imposed on others.
A quote from the season before last:-
“This S***hole needs a Pizza Hut™, It’ll still be a S***hole but at least I can get a decent meal”
Guess which country and resort! I was only shamed that my Italian was so poor I couldn’t pretend to be an innocent passer-by.
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You know it makes sense.
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“This S***hole needs a Pizza Hut™, It’ll still be a S***hole but at least I can get a decent meal”
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Masque, sorry to say there are probably plenty of us "Limeys" who are just as bad - why else would Mediterranean resorts be full of places selling Boddingtons Ale and salt & vinegar crisps? (Nothing against those two particular culinary items, I hasten to add!)
Last edited by You know it makes sense. on Thu 12-08-04 18:54; edited 2 times in total
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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I'm getting worried by all this septic talk - do we need a doctor or a plumber here 
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Poster: A snowHead
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Hmmm. Show me how I can ski in Cortina on a three day weekend and I will.
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Vacation habits are changing as Americans log more hours in the office and watch their big-ticket spending. As a result, weekend getaways and last-minute trips are becoming more popular as opposed to the traditional long annual vacation.
According to a recent survey by discount travel site Hotwire.com, more than three-quarters of Americans say they plan to take at least two weekend getaways this year, with more than 30 percent opting for four or more long weekend trips.
At the same time, only 39 percent of Americans say they’ll leave town for a week or more. As to why they’re shifting vacation habits and opting for more frequent, shorter trips, the most popular answers listed were “saving money,” and “can’t take time off work.”
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| comprex wrote: |
| Hmmm. Show me how I can ski in Cortina on a three day weekend and I will. |
Tough one. Emigrate to a country with proper holidays?
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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People around the world are working more and more, and have more and more different choices of ways to fill their leisure time. The longhaul ski trip may increasingly become a "special treat" rather than a regular occurrence. Except of course for WTFH...
Last edited by Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see? on Thu 12-08-04 18:55; edited 1 time in total
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Quote: |
| People around the world are working more and more |
I'd like to see some stats on this. A business I run in the UK has a 5 week holiday allowance for all staff, from the first year they join. It's still the statutory minimum in many French employment sectors. I'll take quality of life now over vague promises of a decent pension - should I last that long - any day!
Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Thu 1-07-04 23:23; edited 1 time in total
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Martin Bell, I like my special treats - and if possible a few times a year.
Next season will consist of: Whistler (possibly), Montana (definitely), Kicking Horse (probably), and either Alta/Bird or Winter Park/Vail. And somewhere in there I need to get another couple of days in at Jackson/Grand Fogee.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Wear The Fox Hat, you've got a busy winter ahead - you'd better get some sleep and stop writing limericks.
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Martin, it's a long time to December, and I've reasons to believe that maybe this year will be even better than the last.
(and just for another song misquote...)
I'll ski when I'm alive, I'll sleep when I'm dead
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WTFH, is that a seasonal disorder?
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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SteveG, yeah, I only suffer it in winter.
and spring
and summer
and autumn
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No summer skiing then? or Autumn for that matter?
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FAQ
