I can now sigh a great relief because we now seem to be beyond the "everything French is bad" days. The numbers haven't yet caught up to pre-9/11 numbers but it is now OK to visit France again.
In its latest report, Paris' tourism office said 21 percent more Germans, 18 percent more Japanese and 13 percent more Americans checked into the city's hotels in the first five months of 2004 compared to a year ago.
But free-spending Americans, typically the most represented nationality among visitors in Paris, are the special target of promoters. The French capital has held events tied to the Fourth of July holiday the last two years trying to attract American tourists.
"The most cultivated Americans were able to look past the differences," said Jean-Claude Demais, head of Normandy's tourist bureau. "But other Americans were told that French people were jerks — and people believed it."
Maybe this is why John also received special perks from Air France? It's not easy being targeted by being wined and dined. Oh the humanity!
