Page 92 - Tourism The International Business

4. Where do tourists go?

water sports. The result has been the development of several resorts, population 50,000 each, capitalizing on the
beaches, the sunshine, and the recreational capabilities of the area.
France has 200 winter sports resorts. Most are in the Alps. The coming of the railway was responsible for the

development of tourism in the Alps by opening up previously inaccessible areas. The 11-kilometer tunnel under
Mount Blanc has opened up a route between France and Italy. Opinion is divided as to whether or not this will
mean that tourists will continue to Italy instead of skiing in France. The popularity of winter sports has meant,
amongst other things, that new areas have been developed from scratch. The result has been the repopulation of
previously declining communities.
The Pyrennes region, between France and Spain, is a scenic mountain area populated by the Basques. In the
foothills is the religious shrine at Lourdes.

The island of Corsica is best-known as the birthplace of Napoleon. Its rocky coastline offers yachting and water
sports, while inland there are thermal springs. Corsica remains relatively undeveloped.
West Germany

West Germany and the United States are the world's largest generators of foreign tourists. This is, in great part,
a reflection of the strength of the economies of the two countries. However, whereas almost half of the travelers
from the United States visit another world region, predominantly Europe, most West Germans vacation within the
same region. West Germany shares borders with nine other countries. Denmark is the recipient of most visitors
from West Germany although they tend to be short-term excursionists. As a combination of number of tourists and
amount of money spent in the destination country, the most important destinations for Germans are Austria, Italy,
Spain, Switzerland and France. German tourists spend more per capita than any other national outside of

Americans.
Other European countries account for about 70 per cent of the visitors to West Germany. This percentage is one
of the smallest for European countries. West Germany ranks a distant fourth among European nations as a
destination, behind Spain, Italy and France. The two principal tourist-generating countries for West Germany are
the Netherlands and the United States. The United Kingdom, France, and Belgium/Luxembourg follow distantly.
The average length of stay tends to be short, an indication that much of the tourism is made up of people en route
elsewhere. Visits tend to peak in June and July although tourism is strong throughout much of the year.
West Germany is known for its scenery and culture. The main tourist regions are the Rhine Gorge, the hill
country of the Rift Valley, and Bavaria. On the middle Rhine in particular, between Bonn and Bingen, the scenery is

spectacular. Romantic castles overlook the river every few hundred yards. Marksburg is the best-preserved of the
castles. A number of towns feature curative mineral springs. The Rhine is also a major wine-producing region.
Several villages have annual wine festivals. Riidesheim features the Drosselgasse, an extremely narrow street that is
wall-to-wall wine taverns. While Germany is best known for white Rhine and Moselle wine, Assmannshausen is
famous for its red wine.
The Rhine Rift Valley, farther south, is best known for the Black Forest, a region that encourages outdoor
recreation. Numerous youth hostels are available for the young traveler.

Bavaria is the end point of the 362-kilometer long Romantische Strasse (Romantic Highway) that runs south
from Würzburg to Füssen. The capital of Bavaria is Munich, scene of the annual beer festival Oktoberfest. South of
Munich lie the German Alps. Garmisch-Partenkirchen is the most famous of the winter sports center. Apart from

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