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American Honeymoon With France Over -- For Now
Aired August 22, 2003 - 13:41 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, a bit of a lighter note now -- what's the world's most popular tourist destination? Well, traditionally, it's France. This summer, however, one group is conspicuously absent.
CNN's Chris Burns looks at why many Americans are staying away and what will it take them to come back.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The height of France's tourist season. The crowds are here, minus one key ingredient -- the usual masses of Americans.
The number of visitors from the states is down about 30 percent, officials say, because of the weak dollar, terrorism jitters, and the U.S./French clash over Iraq.
(on camera): Any Americans here? Americans? American? Nobody.
(voice-over): We found a few. Susy Bejar of Miami.
SUSY BEJAR, AMERICAN TOURIST: There is a lot of anti-French sentiment in America right now. And I'm sure that's part of it, but I don't mind. I mean, they've been nice.
BURNS: Luxury Parisian hotels are hurting. They count heavily on big-spending Americans.
CLAUDIA SCHALL, HOTEL MEURICE: We're not sure what France's position was and maybe decided this year not to go to France, but to go to Italy.
BURNS (on camera): You mean for political reasons?
SCHALL: Political reasons.
BURNS: Because of the Iraq crisis.
(voice-over): Among those who came anyway, some didn't come despite the Iraqi crisis, but because of it.
(on camera): Was it a political statement coming here?
GENE FECHTER, DUMONT, NEW JERSEY: I guess in a way it is, yes. We're looking for the weapons of mass destructions in the streets of Paris.
BURNS (voice-over): French tour operators feel they're caught in the crossfire, boycotted by Americans angry that the French government opposed the U.S.-led war in Iraq.
ARMAND BRAJTMAN, FRENCH TRAVEL AGENCY ASSN.: They should make sure that the people that they punish are really the ones that are guilty.
BURNS (on camera): And how do they do that?
(voice-over): One tip to the industry -- we found no one who came because of Woody Allen's "Come to France" ad blitz this year.
FECHTER: Woody Allen talking about French kissing his wife is just strange.
BURNS: French tourism officials say they're grateful they can at least count on the diehard U.S. francophiles. But they say don't expect the number of American tourists to get back to normal before next year, at the earliest. And that's if nothing else gets in the way of them crossing the pond.
Chris Burns, CNN, Paris.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired August 22, 2003 - 13:41 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, a bit of a lighter note now -- what's the world's most popular tourist destination? Well, traditionally, it's France. This summer, however, one group is conspicuously absent.
CNN's Chris Burns looks at why many Americans are staying away and what will it take them to come back.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The height of France's tourist season. The crowds are here, minus one key ingredient -- the usual masses of Americans.
The number of visitors from the states is down about 30 percent, officials say, because of the weak dollar, terrorism jitters, and the U.S./French clash over Iraq.
(on camera): Any Americans here? Americans? American? Nobody.
(voice-over): We found a few. Susy Bejar of Miami.
SUSY BEJAR, AMERICAN TOURIST: There is a lot of anti-French sentiment in America right now. And I'm sure that's part of it, but I don't mind. I mean, they've been nice.
BURNS: Luxury Parisian hotels are hurting. They count heavily on big-spending Americans.
CLAUDIA SCHALL, HOTEL MEURICE: We're not sure what France's position was and maybe decided this year not to go to France, but to go to Italy.
BURNS (on camera): You mean for political reasons?
SCHALL: Political reasons.
BURNS: Because of the Iraq crisis.
(voice-over): Among those who came anyway, some didn't come despite the Iraqi crisis, but because of it.
(on camera): Was it a political statement coming here?
GENE FECHTER, DUMONT, NEW JERSEY: I guess in a way it is, yes. We're looking for the weapons of mass destructions in the streets of Paris.
BURNS (voice-over): French tour operators feel they're caught in the crossfire, boycotted by Americans angry that the French government opposed the U.S.-led war in Iraq.
ARMAND BRAJTMAN, FRENCH TRAVEL AGENCY ASSN.: They should make sure that the people that they punish are really the ones that are guilty.
BURNS (on camera): And how do they do that?
(voice-over): One tip to the industry -- we found no one who came because of Woody Allen's "Come to France" ad blitz this year.
FECHTER: Woody Allen talking about French kissing his wife is just strange.
BURNS: French tourism officials say they're grateful they can at least count on the diehard U.S. francophiles. But they say don't expect the number of American tourists to get back to normal before next year, at the earliest. And that's if nothing else gets in the way of them crossing the pond.
Chris Burns, CNN, Paris.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
