Photo by Claytron
While hordes of Europeans cross the Atlantic for the US to purchase cheap Levi’s and iPhones en masse, the weak dollar and the US economic slowdown have decreased the amount of big spending Americans in Europe.
According to Amy Ziff of Travelocity the bookings for countries that use the euro, such as France, Italy and Spain, are 15 percent lower than last summer. This is indeed a painful blow to the European tourism industry, and some of the ‘big players’ are now offering: “special price for you, American”, to try to lure US tourists back to Europe.
In Venice, the legendary Harry’s Bar – that gave us Carpaccio and the Bellini cocktail - is offering 20 percent discounts on food for American ‘victims’ of bad economy. US citizens won't need to bring their passports—"We will judge by the accent," says owner of Harry’s Bar Arrigo Capriani, according to Reuters.
Britain's tourism agency, VisitBritain, is letting Americans buy discount cards in dollars so they can see the sights for less, writes USA Today and Ireland is running a new advertising campaign: "Ireland, Can you afford not to go?"
However, it is not all European destinations that have fallen into disfavour among the American travelers. Bookings are up 16 percent for Eastern European countries that don't use the euro, says Amy Ziff from Travelocity.