ecognizing that their country's
anti-war posture offended many Americans, French tourism interests
have embarked on a major campaign to win back the U.S. travel
market.
In a promotional campaign headlined, "Let's fall in love again,"
the French are reminding us that there is much to appreciate in
their country.
Although some Americans, including some travel people, continue
to harbor negative feelings toward France, travel suppliers report
that the climate is improving, as are bookings to France. It will
take time, but there is no question that France will return to its
previous position as a favorite of U.S. visitors.
Mixing travel and politics doesn't work very well. Once you
choose to allow political views to affect travel decisions, there's
no end to it. Take the example of human rights violations. Amnesty
International, the global group that monitors human rights abuses,
reported cases of abuse last year on the part of 151 countries and
territories, including the U.S.
A part of me says I shouldn't visit any place where human rights
abuses have taken place, but if I adopted that view, I would
eliminate most of the world.
I grew up during World War II, when we learned that Germany and
Japan were our enemies. As an adult, should I never have visited
these countries? Should no one have visited the Soviet Union when
our government was characterizing it as an evil empire?
I prefer to believe that, in traveling to as many places as
possible, we increase the prospects for an understanding between
ourselves and the people of other nations. During the period of the
Vietnam War, I traveled extensively to many countries that opposed
our involvement in that conflict. I heard much criticism of the
U.S. government, but no personal hostility was shown toward me.
People made an easy distinction between how they felt about the
policies of the government and how they felt about me.
My friends in France are among the finest people I've met in my
years of travel. Am I to tell them I can't see them now or for some
time to come because their government didn't agree with ours about
Iraq?
We are not being unpatriotic when we travel to places whose
governments fall short of our standards of behavior or disagree
with our government about political issues.
Where does the mixture of travel and politics end? If I disagree
with my own government, should I stay away from Washington or, as
the political activist Dick Gregory once said, put my tax returns
in the foreign mail?