Back to France, Champagne, Burgundy and Paris

In a couple of days I return to France for a trip through Champagne and Burgundy to explore the vineyards. But first I will spend a few days in Paris, one of my favorite places on earth. Every trip that Maison de la France has arranged for me has been a winner, so I have no doubts that my time in Paris will be productive as well as enjoyable. My digs in the City of Lights will be the Renaissance Paris Hotel Le Parc Trocadero, by all accounts a very special place. Renovations to this hotel were completed this year and the buildings that comprise the property all have historical importance. Part of it was the home of Alfred Nobel and another the workshops of Bagues. Ready to board my Air France flight and head over to one of my favorite European countries.

Discover America Partnership and the Power of Travel

During this week of networking such as my attendance at the European Travel Commission bash, my thoughts turned again to the fact that America doesn’t do much to attract visitors, no national strategy in play and none planned. Here in the red, white and blue states have their own CVB and tourism boards, many are great. It still doesn’t come close to the efforts that governments around the world use to attract dollars, yen or pounds. There is a reason that so many countries have national tourism boards, it is an economical wind fall. People make money from visitors a fact that escapes us here.

I am a big fan of Discover America’s tackling the problem by stepping in and realizing the financial benefit of drawing foreign visitors not to mention the benefits of people from other places learning more about us in the US of A. I frequently go to their website to check out their progress. Here is one quote, “Foreign travelers are in agreement: the U.S. entry process is unpredictable and unfriendly to foreign visitors, it is hurting America’s image abroad and deterring many from visiting the U.S.”. http://www.poweroftravel.org/about.aspx