LES VACANCES - Overbooked: The Exploding Business of Travel and Tourism - page 28

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LES VACANCES
On a drizzling Sunday morning, a crowd gathered early at the base of the Eiffel Tower wait-
ing to ride up the lattice legs of the world's most famous national symbol. African vendors
had staked out their territory on the wet sidewalks, selling glittering Eiffel miniatures dis-
played on uniform four-foot-square cotton scarves. It was the tail-end of summer—children
had returned to school—and the crew of thirty-eight gardeners had weeded and pruned to
perfection what remained of the flower beds. Signs in six languages warned tourists to be-
ware of pickpockets. The bust of Gustave Eiffel, the engineer who built the tower for the
1889 Universal Exposition, was stationed modestly near the north pillar.
Standing on the second-level viewing platform was an Australian couple—Liz and
Shane—who were celebrating their retirement with a month-long trip through the capitals
of Europe. “You can't come to Paris and not go up the Eiffel Tower,” Liz said, asking me to
photograph the two of them standing bravely against the rain with Paris as a backdrop. The
picture that would say they had done the tour.
Every day tourists climb the Eiffel Tower or catch their first awestruck view of its elegant
silhouette from taxis or trains bringing them into the city that has become the symbol of
foreign travel, the reason why people empty their savings accounts or load up their credit
cards to squeeze into an airplane and fly off for a glimpse of another world. It is no accident
that the Eiffel Tower is the ubiquitous icon of travel and romance and epitomizes why Paris
is the first choice of travelers looking for that new experience.
In the twenty-first century France has become the most visited country in the world,
beating out the United States, the former champ. France is the reigning diva of all things
travel; the favorite cover for travel magazines—the newest wrinkle in Paris nightlife or a
hidden corner of the French countryside—and the favorite destination.
This is no small achievement for a country smaller than the state of Texas. It has no trop-
ical beaches like Hawaii, no Alaskan glaciers, no Grand Canyon or Yellowstone national
parks. Yet France outdraws the United States and every other country, welcoming some 78
million visitors every year who happily spend over $48 billion to live like the French for a
week or so.