Exodus '48

"English cooking at its best is probably as good as any on earth. At its worst it drives men to murder and suicide . . . You were warned that the whole country is screwy. So what are you hollering about?"

Thus in London's Sunday Express last week, Columnist Nat Gubbins good-naturedly warned U.S. tourists in Britain. But U.S. trippers did not scare easily. Two months ago political worries had led some to cancel trips to Europe, but the defeat of Italy's Communists had queued them up in longer lines than ever. Last week, for the first time since last fall, the Queen Elizabeth left New York City packed to the rails. This summer some 100,000 U.S. tourists will visit the United Kingdom and Eire; twice as many hope to go to the Continent.

Shipping companies are already booked up solid for most of the summer. Airline bookings are ahead of last year. Both can ferry only 45,000 passengers a month (33,000 by sea, 12,000 by air), half as many as in 1937. Last week ship lines were still accepting tentative bookings--but only to replace last-minute no-shows.

No Room. Some of the European countries found that they had oversold their attractions. Sweden even bought ads in U.S. newspapers discouraging midsummer travel--its hotels were full. But most still had the welcome mat out. The Netherlands was advertising the Queen's Golden Jubilee; Belgium plugged two international fairs and the famed Belgian cuisine; Norway touted its fjords; Britain listed the Olympics, horse races and regattas; Italy had an arm-long series of fairs and festivals from hot jazz to trapshooting. Europeans hoped that U.S. tourists would spend $300 million this year, twice as much as in 1947.

In Britain, the overvalued pound made touring comparatively expensive. In London's first-flight Dorchester Hotel, for example, a single room with bath cost $11 a night. Britain's rationing system was also stricter than on the Continent, but the meals, plain though they might be, were reasonably priced (the government had pegged them at $1). In the provinces, food was better, and hotel prices (about $4 a night) lower. Britain's best lures: dollar tourists could buy clothes and get enough gasoline to drive 600 miles in two weeks, 1,000 in four.

No Millionaires. France's new free currency rate (305 francs to the dollar) made traveling low-priced. Knickknacks--handbags, scarves, blouses and lingerie--were cheaper than in the U.S. And in Paris, as one tripper sighed ecstatically: "There seems to be an abundance of almost everything"--even if some things sold at inflationary prices. For night life, there were grubby clubs on Montmartre, dancers at the Bal Tabarin and undressed showgirls at the Folies-Bergere.

In the provinces, food was again more plentiful and prices were down. In Biarritz, at luxury hotels such as the Miramar, room & board was about $8 a day. In smaller places a tourist could eat and sleep well for as little as $2 to $4 a day. All hotels had stern instructions from the government not to gouge U.S. tourists. Said Minister of Transport Christian Pineau: "[Americans] are no longer all millionaires . . . We will have to show [them] a good time at a reasonable price."

The free lira had made Italy another happy hunting ground. Many a hotel, such as Naples' Excelsior, which was burned in 1943, had been rebuilt and rates were reasonable ($4 a night; about $14 with food). In smaller hotels, room & meals were around $4 a day and the food was the best in Europe. Fine textiles and leather goods were cheap. (Handmade silk print dresses were as low as $14.) Like others, the Italians could hardly wait for the tourists and their dollars. As one tradesman put it: "We expect great jollisty as soon as Americans arrive."

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