Evening star., 1939-07-30
Tourist Season
In Europe Proves
Dismal Failure
War Fears Keeping Many
Americans and Britons
At Home This Year
BY WILLIAM BIRD.

PARIS, July 20 &C. P0-The sum-
mer tourist season in Europe has
been = minor catastrophe. Normal
" the months Of June and July
are time Of great activity in all
the big European cities and in the
watering places and seaside resorts.
Paris hotels are usually full of
Americans, Britishers and other
foreign guests, while the native pop
ulation Of Paris, as soon as the
school year finishes, gets away to
the sea or the mountains to make
room for them.
But this year has seen no such
movement. The number OF Amer
lean tourists has been unusually
small. The English have not Wis
tied France in the usual large
numbers. And the French have
stayed at home.
Italy and Germany have suffered
even more from the travel slump
Both countries have in recent years
built up a tremendously efficient
tourist propaganda machine, and
by granting not only cheap rail-
way transportation, but also the
privilege of buying marks and lire
at a special discount, have man.
aged to get the bulk OF the Euro
pean travel business. But the per-
sistence of political tension in Eu-
rope has dissuaded people from
visiting those countries. Also, apart
from the United States and Great
Britain, more and more nations
have placed restrictions on their
own people desiring to travel abroad
In most Of the countries Of Eu-
rope, 1t is extremely difficult for a
native to obtain foreign currency
with which to travel.
Consequences Far Reaching.
The consequences of this decline
In travel are much more far reach
ing than one might at first think
1t might be supposed that the only
sufferers are the railways, steam
ship lines, hotels and restaurants
They are, of course, the first to suf-
fer, and they add up to very i'm
portant industry.
But the consequences go much
further. The influx of foreign
money brought by tourists repre-
sents what economists call "invis-
ible exports" If, for example, 2OO,.
600 American tourists spend ar
average Of $3.50 a piece in Germany
in a season, it represents a sum Of
$50 ,000, 900 to the credit OF Ger
many's balance of foreign pay
ments
That amount of money, being in
actual American currency or ir
credits on New York. can be utilized
by Germany only for purchases ir
the United States. Thus it come.
about that decline in the number
of American tourists going to Ger.
many, or in the amount of money
they spend there, results in q
diminution Of Germany's ability tt
buy American goods. It compels, tt
that extent, the German economic
machine to place further restric.
tions on foreign purchases, and re.
inforces the "autarchic" tendency
Of German political economy. 1t il
hence E. factor working against Sec.
retary of State Cordell Hull's cam.
paign for freer international ex'
ClanReS.
Decline Due to War Fear.
Naturally. the effect is the sam,
If the country is France or England
The failure Of American tourists t,
come and spend their dollars il
France and England, as they hav,
been accustomed to do, results il
the French and British nations hav.
ing shortage Of dollars with which
to buy American exports, and thu.
forces them more and more to s
species of elf-reliance which il
closely akin to autarchy.
1t is only too plain that the chic
cause of the decline in travel is tn.
fear of war. Nobody enjoys the pros.
pect of being caught 5000 miles from
home If trouble breaks out. There
would not be enough ships to re.
patriate several hundred thousane
tourists rapidly.