The ANNOTICO Report
Despite the weak dollar, American visitors to Europe are expected to exceed 14 million this year, beating the record 13.5 million in 2000.'' 4 million of them will be visiting Italy, almost 30% of the Entire European Continent.
Much of this boom in European travel stems from pent-up demand that has grown after a dip that followed 9/11, when many Americans wouldn't travel far from home.
Various countries, in addition to WWII 60th anniversary commemorations, are spotlighting special celebrations;
Spain commemorates the 400th year of the publication of Cervantes' famed epic, Don Quixote. Visitors to Spain can follow a newly designated 620-mile-long route where the errant knight's fictitious adventures took place.
Britain is mounting a major celebration for the 200th
anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar and the death of naval hero Adm.
Horatio Nelson, Chief among the events will the International Festival
of the Sea -- featuring a sail past and fly past with a mock battle between
tall ships.
France will mark the 100th anniversary of the death of
Jules Verne, author of Around the World in 80 Days, From the Earth to the
Moon and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea., and will also celebrate the 100th
anniversary of the birth of the famed fashion designer Christian Dior.
Denmark, will mark the 200th anniversary of the birth
of Hans Christian Andersen, with Tivoli Gardens, the famed amusement park
in Copenhagen, creating a major production in Andersen's honor called A
Tivoli Fairy Tale.
In Germany, Berlin will mark the 50th anniversary of
the death of scientist Albert Einstein and the 100th anniversary of his
Theory of Relativity
[Apparently, they have heard yet that Einstein
stole his Theory of E=mc2 from Italian Olinto De Pretto
SEE: http://www.guardian.co.uk//international/story/0,3604,253524,00.html
]
I'm not aware of any special celebrations in Italy, BUT
then when you have 90% of the Patrimony of Western Civilization, petty
promotions are not necessary. :)
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EUROPE
AMERICANS FLOCKING TO CONTINENT
Despite the declining value of the U.S. dollar against the euro and the British pound, a record 14 million Americans are expected to travel to Europe this year.
Miami Herald
By Jay Clarke
Sun, Mar. 27, 2005
He fought giants that were really windmills, mistook a
flock of sheep for an army and rescued a damsel in distress. Now, to commemorate
the 400th year of the publication of Cervantes' famed epic, Don Quixote,
visitors to Spain can follow a newly designated 620-mile-long route where
the errant knight's fictitious adventures took place.
The Spanish region of Castile-La Mancha is spending $66
million to present 2005 art exhibitions, concerts, plays and other presentations
related to Don Quixote in various towns on the route, which winds through
10 provinces.
Along the way, Quixote followers can visit the historic
city of Toledo, where Don Quixote tilted against the windmills; Campo de
Criptana with its 10 remaining windmills; the magical Montesinos Cave and
Rochafrida Castle; Consuegra's 11 windmills overlooking the plains of La
Mancha; and the old restaurant in Puerto Lapica that claims to be where
Don Quixote was knighted by an indolent innkeeper.
MORE TRAVELERS
The Quixote celebration is one of a number of special
events that will pique the interest of the surprising number of Americans
who will visit Europe this year. Surprising, because while the declining
value of the dollar against the euro and other European currencies is making
travel to that continent an expensive proposition, it doesn't seem to be
putting off American travel to Europe.
Indeed, indications are that 2005 may be a record year.
''Confidence in travel [to Europe] is back,'' declared
Eugenio Magnani, chairman of the European Travel Commission in North America.
``We expect American visitors to Europe to exceed 14 million this year,
beating the record 13.5 million in 2000.''
Much of this boom in European travel stems from pent-up
demand that has grown after a dip that followed 9/11, when many Americans
wouldn't travel far from home.
Tour operators, airlines and others in the travel industry
are echoing Magnani's rosy outlook.
''It's going to be a great year,'' said Melissa Abernathy
of American Express Travel. ``We're showing double-digit growth over last
year.''
''Despite the weakness of the U.S. dollar, Americans
are still traveling,'' said John Lampl of British Airways, which is boosting
summer flights from Miami and Los Angeles to London from two to three a
day on certain days.
''Bookings [to Europe] are stronger than we expected,''
said Steve Loucks of Carlson Wagonlit, one of the country's biggest travel
agencies. ``Because of the [weak dollar] we thought Europe would be a tougher
sell.''
RECORD YEAR?
European countries are happily riding the crest.
''We [Italy] expect more than four million Americans
this year, the biggest number since 2000,'' said Magnani, who is also head
of the Italian Government Tourist Office in the United States. Italy saw
3,850,000 American visitors in 2004.
Finland, which saw American visitors rise 10 percent
last year, expects even greater volume in 2005. ''Travelers ... now have
more options and gateways than they have had in the last four years,''
said Finnish Tourist Board's Nino de Prado. He noted that all three major
Nordic air carriers were adding flights this summer.
Demand is so healthy that good deals are fast disappearing.
''It comes as no surprise that prices will be pretty
steep,'' said Kathie Gonzalez of www.cheaptickets.com. ``In general, there's
a six-month booking window on international summer trips, so we're already
seeing the cheapest fares for travel during July and August sold out.''
A notable trend this year is France's return to popularity
after a period when that country's opposition to the Iraq war turned off
some American travelers.
''France is back,'' said Beth Kaplan of Liberty Travel,
one of the largest U.S. tour operators. ``There's a lot of interest in
Paris.''
Indeed, the French Government Tourist Office expects
U.S. travel to France to increase 5 to 10 percent this year over 2004.
And Fabrice Morel, president and CEO of Rail Europe Group, noting that
sales of Rail Europe's France products increased more than 50 percent in
2004 over 2003, said, ``This clearly indicates the full recovery of France
as a travel destination.''
WWII REMEMBRANCES
Wherever Americans go in Europe this year, it seems,
they are likely to run into anniversary events. For one, virtually every
country and town involved in World War II is planning celebrations to mark
the end of the war 60 years ago.
In Amsterdam, for example, liberation festivals and parade
will take place May 4 and 5. Moscow will hold its celebration May 7-9 in
Red Square. Berlin will unveil a Holocaust Memorial near the Brandenburg
Gate May 10. Torgau, Germany will mark the linkup of U.S. and Soviet forces
on April 10; Plzen, Czech Republic, will unveil a statue of Gen. George
Patton May 6; and liberation of the notorious German death camps of Buchenwald
(April 10) and Dachau (May 1).
Beyond that, though, are remembrances of other significant
events and people.
Taking its inspiration from the 200th anniversary of
the Battle of Trafalgar and the death of naval hero Adm. Horatio Nelson,
Britain is mounting a major celebration.
Chief among the events will the International Festival
of the Sea June 30-July 3, which will bring together what the British say
will be the biggest ever multinational maritime gathering -- a sail past
and fly past with a mock battle between tall ships.
Across the Channel, meanwhile, France will mark the 100th
anniversary of the death of Jules Verne, author of Around the World in
80 Days, From the Earth to the Moon and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Main
celebrations will be held in his birthplace of Nantes and his adopted city
of Amiens, where he is buried.
This year France also celebrates the 100th anniversary
of the birth of the famed fashion designer Christian Dior. Several exhibitions
and other events are planned in his home town of Granville in Brittany,
where Dior's home in a remarkable cliffside garden overlooking the sea
has been restored to its 1920s style and made into a museum.
Marking the 200th anniversary of the birth of Hans Christian
Andersen, Tivoli Gardens, the famed amusement park in Copenhagen, has created
a major production in Andersen's honor called A Tivoli Fairy Tale. You
can tour Andersen's haunts in Copenhagen on a new walking tour ( www.copenhagenhistory
tours.dk) or visit Andersen's favorite places in the country on a two-night
guided tour ( www.nordicco.com).
And in Germany, Berlin will mark the 50th anniversary
of the death of scientist Albert Einstein and the 100th anniversary of
his Theory of Relativity with a number of special events, among them a
summer exhibition at the Kronpinzenpalais.
jclarke@herald.com
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/living/travel/11216752.htm