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Show European travelers are discovering America by William A. Davis Field News Service Writer THE AMERICAN TRAVELERS romance with Western Europe is an affair but too hot ever to really cool down the long honeymoon seems to be over. Latest U.S. Passport Office statistics indicate that only 385,000 Americans traveled to the continent in August a 12 normally the peak travel month percent drop from the same period in 1979 when the total was 436,805. The European Travel Commission (ETC), which represents most West European nations, expects the decline in U.S. travel to Europe to average out to about four percent for the entire year. The U.S. Travel Service (USTS) calculates that total U.S. citizen departures abroad excluding Canada and Mexico will fall off about three percent in 1980 to 7.9 million. SOARING AIR FARES, the U.S. recession, and the extremely high cost of travel in Europe are seen as the main reasons for the drop in travel overseas. Since these conditions are not likely to improve in the immediate future, and in fact could be made much worse by another round of oil price increases, the great days of European travel appear to be ending for the American tourist. But, while U.S. travelers are readjusting their affections toward Europe and other overseas destinations, for foreign tourists it looks like a clear case of falling in love again: With the United States of America. So far this year, foreign travelers have come to the U.S. in unprecedented and historic number?. In fact, 1980 looks to be the first year in modern American history in which more foreigners visited the U.S. than Americans traveled abroad. U.S. DEPARTMENT of Commerce estimates indicate that by the end of the year U.S. inbound tourism will reach a an record 8.4 million arrivals increase of 20 percent over last year a figure that does not include travel from Canada and Mexico. Factoring in visitors from our neighbor nations, the total number of international visitors for 1980 is expected to be 21.6 million yet another record. USTS believes Commerce Department figures are conservative and is predicting even greater foreign visitor totals. The British lead the overseas visitor parade with 1.3 million expected this year, and increase of 30 percent over 1979. The British are not the biggest spenders, however. That honor goes to the 1.2 million Japanese visitors who this year for the first time are expected to top the $1 billion mark for about tourist expenditures in the U.S. half of it spent in Hawaii, their favorite destination. Germans are also coming on strong both as visitors and spenders, 705,000 West Germans will spend about $610 million on U.S. pleasure travel this year. Despite this avalanche of pounds, yen, and marks, Americans- traveling abroad will spend about $1.7 billion a more than foreigners in the U.S. considerable improvement over past deficits, however. The U.S. travel deficit peaked at $3.2 billion in 1972 and hovered at around $3.2 billion for several years before dropping to $2.5 - billion last year. AMERICANS MAY BE GOING TO Europe less, but they are asking and hard questions about it more questions, too, such as: What is it REALLY going to cost me? An ETC survey of member tourist information offices in the U S. shows that inquiries from would-b- e travelers are up substantially over last year, as much as 20 percent in some cases. Most of the questions are budget oriented, and the European tourist offices report tremendous interest in all discount programs and a great demand for bargain oriented literature. The British Tourist Authority, for instance, says that about 25 percent of its inquiries now concern B & Bs, moderately priced bed and breakfast accommodation in private homes generally located out of London; while the French National Tourist Office has been swamped with requests for logis de France, a booklet listing recommended budget accommodations outside of Paris. AMERICAN TRAVELERS IN increasing numbers are also shrewdly seeking out all available bargains, some of which call for a little planning. Sales of the $1 Italian Museum Pass and the $2.50 Holland Culture Card shot up the latter this year, for example going up 60 percent in the first six months of the year alone. Both are good for admission to museums in their countries and can be bought in the U.S., but not in Italy or the Netherlands. U.S. tourists also seem to have discovered that the cheapest way to travel around the continent is the way most Europeans do: By train. Sales of Eurail passes are up 10 percent over last year and those of the German Federal Railways rail tourist card a whopping 83 percent. Surprisingly, hard currency countries like Germany, which Americans have been avoiding in growing numbers in recent years because they were so expensive, report something of an upsurge travel from the U.S. SWITZERLAND, ONCE CONSIDERED the most expensive country in Europe, reports an astonishing increase of nearly 40 percent in travel from the U.S. this summer. But, while certainly dramatic, the increase only makes up part of the loss in American tourism Switzerland has suffered in the past few years. In 1972 a record 3.1 million Americans visited Switzerland, last year the total was 1.6 million. This year, the Swiss hope to see 2.2 million U.S. travelers. We had the reputation of being expensive, but we really arent any more expensive than other countries, said a tourist official, it has just taken Americans some time to adjust to the exchange rate. Switzerland has one of the world's lowest inflation rates, about 1.5 percent annually, and hotel and restaurant have reamong others prices mained virtually the same in Swiss francs for more than five years. The rub has been the currency exchange rate, which in the past few years had grown steadily more unfavorable to the U.S. dollar. The rate has now stabilized at one dollar for approximately 1.65 Swiss francs. American lovers of Europe also seem to have learned one of the vital facts of love: Timing is crucial. A MAJOR REASON why U.S. travel to Europe was down this summer is because the typical American tourist is well aware that July and August are the most expensive times to go. Winter is cheapest, of course, but also the coldest and wettest time, too. Many travel connoiseurs prefer autumn, considering this time of year to offer the best of both worlds good weather and low prices. More than 1.5 million Americans visited Europe from October, 1979, to April, 1980. Because of economic conditions, that figure probably wont be equaled in the coming season but its unlikely that off season tourism will nosedive the way summer travel did. One of the abiding attractions of n Europe is its cultural life, not during usually at its best after the tourist season. To give just a few examples: Mons, Belgium is showing a special Van Gogh exhibit until Nov. 30, Vienna displays the ornate carriages of Empress Maria Theresa at Schoenbrunn Palace through November; low-seaso- 7 PC!l3t&SO MEDITERRANEAN Book Now for 198081 Space 15 Day AirSea Cruises SPECIAL ESCORTED DEPARTURES From MAY 28, OCT. 3, 1981 THURSDAY DEPARTURES Deluxe Escorted $329 $449 Plus Air Plus Air & Complete 10 Day Tours 1 2 Day Tour $2,398 per person double occupancy (4 Islands) (4 Islands) y CARIBBEAN CRUISES PANAMA CANAL 1931 Escorted Windjammer Jan. 31, Stella Solaris Feb. 20, 1981 12 Days AlrSea Including Caribbean Escorted from $1908 Per Person Dbl. Occ. 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