Evening star., 1927-07-04
TOURISTS IN PANIC
DUE TO OWN FOLLY
Travellers in Europe Neglect
ing Reservations Find Ships
"Booked Solid"
BY WILLIAM BIRD.

By Cable to The Star.
PARIS. July 4-American tourists
now abroad who neglected to reserve
their return passage today are in a
panic.
Steamship offices and tourist agen-
cies are besieged by long lines of inn
prudent travellers. who are discover
ing that practically all the desirable
accommodation for the westward
trip during August and September
are "boOked solid.'
The appy-go-lucky individual who
reasoned that there is always room
for one more" is learning to his sor-
row that this Is not true of ocean
travel.
One Matter Overlooked.
What many failed to take into ac-
count is that the American Legion,
which is bringing some 10000 people
to Paris this Summer for the great
pilgrimage" has reserved whole
ships to take it's members home in
the latter part of September. On
many other ships it has contracted
for all the best medium priced ac-
commodations.
The consequence Is decidedly tough
on ordinary tourists, who normally
would be going home about that time.
Late September Is the favorite time
for returning tourists. This year
thousands have had to take earlier
boats than they would have preferred,
which means in turn that August
bookings are much heavier than
usual.
The principal sufferers are the
tourists of moderate means, for it is
an axiom in the steamship business
that the medium priced cabins are al
ways taken first. The rich can still
get de luxe suites with sitting rooms,
private dining rooms. etc, but only
the rich can pay for them.
Tourist Thirds" Booked Up.
Tourist thirds" also are all booked
up. In fact about the only accom-
modations left within reach of the
modest purse are the regular steera ge
berths, which before the present
American immigration laws were en-
acted used to be filled with hordes of
immigrants.
Some tourists, in despair Of get.
ting anything else. are bravely ap.
plying for places. in the steerage. AS
matter Of fact, they will not fare
badly unless they are too numerous.
Although Europe as a whole is
doing the biggest tourist business in
history this season. Paris is not over.
crowded. Reports Of difficulty in find.
ing hotel accommodations in this city
are grossly exaggerated.
The fact is that the tourist agen-
cies have been busy persuading their
customers not to concentrate too
much on the big cities. but to take
advantage Of the opportunities to
visit remoter places. More and more
people. instead Of heading directly
for the capital from Cherbourg or
Havre, take trains to other destina.
tions.
Small Hotels PatrOnized.
Moreover, the tourist traffic is no
longer concentrated in a few big
tourist hotels. Little side street
hostelries that a year ago had never
had an American customer are en-
tertaining Americans almost eX-
clusively. This, again, Is due to the
enterprise Of the tourist agencies, for
without their help the traveller would
never hear Of the obscure inns.
But, while the agencies can mul-
tiply hotel accommodation almost
indefinitely by a wise decentraliza.
ton Of traffic, they cannot do the
same thing with ship cabins. so long
as most people want to go home at
the same time.
Copyright. 1927