Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: Notesfiles $Revision: 1.7.0.10 $; site uiucdcs
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ihnp4!inuxc!pur-ee!uiucdcs!carey
From: carey@uiucdcs.CS.UIUC.EDU
Newsgroups: net.travel
Subject: Re: paris, france
Message-ID: <13400011@uiucdcs>
Date: Fri, 15-Nov-85 10:08:00 EST
Article-I.D.: uiucdcs.13400011
Posted: Fri Nov 15 10:08:00 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 16-Nov-85 21:06:18 EST
References: <874@ihlpa.UUCP>
Lines: 18
Nf-ID: #R:ihlpa.UUCP:874:uiucdcs:13400011:000:1017
Nf-From: uiucdcs.CS.UIUC.EDU!carey    Nov 15 09:08:00 1985



I talked to a lady last week who travels to France every summer
(she is a professor of French).  The French are notorious for
being very rude to Americans (and other tourists) ESPECIALLY when
they attempt to speak French.  Recently (don't know the dates),
she said, some travel agencies got fed up with the situation and
threatened to recommend to American tourists that they NOT go to
France.  The government started up a "be nice to Americans" campaign
enforced with the threat to take away hotel's licenses if their
employees were rude to tourists.  This apparently had a pretty good
impact, so there will be a lot more patience given to tourists.  
I don't know how many of the menus, etc. are in english.  Some friends
of mine were there this summer, and could get along OK because one of
them speaks French well.  She said the people were willing to listen
to her French, I don't know if this is because of the new policies,
or because she spoke well enough, that they accepted it--maybe a little
bit of both.