European Political Leaders Encourage Home Tourism by Staying on Own Soil

Aug. 16, 2010 - PRLog -- Earlier this month Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian Prime Minister, canceled his summer vacation, whilst urging his Italian fellow Italians to stay in Italy for their summer holidays.

Meanwhile French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, shall spend his holiday along the French Riviera, at his wife's villa in Cap Negre.

British Prime Minister, David Cameron, who faces the biggest budget deficit of all European countries, is also keeping his holiday local. The PM is heading to Britain's south-east for a holiday in Cornwall, where he is due to meet Ed Milliband, the current forerunner for Labour's leadership.

Angela Merkel, Germany's chancellor, is staying in South Tyrol where she will be hiking with her husband.

Spanish Prime Minister Jose Zaperto, is avoiding the royal residence on Lanzarote he stayed at last year, instead opting to stay in his family home in Castilia.

Collectively the leaders are making a strong political statement, encouraging their publics to support their local tourist industry, while also purveying an image of modesty in tough economic times.

“Politics is about symbolism,” says Frédéric Dabi, director at Ifop, French polling institute “and holidays are no exception”. Sarkozy fell victim of severe criticism last year for spending his holiday on the yacht of Vincent Bollore, France's wealthiest business man.

Yet this message of national solidarity and the support of the 'staycation' do not seem to be resonating with the whole of Europe. Last-minute bookings, long haul flights and business flights are all up from last year’s figures. Showing a desire from travelers to get abroad for their vacations.

In the UK, many tourists have opted to stay at home , though vacation rentals across the continent have proven a popular option in tight economic times. Villas in Italy have seen a great increase from British travelers as have villas in France and southern Spain.

Greek Prime Minister George Papandreau, has warned his cabinet to prepare for an imminent second round of austerity as demanded by the EU and International Monetary Fund.

In Italy Berlusconi has lent his voice to promoting national tourism, by lending his voice to a government television ad compelling Italians to stay native for their holidays. The advert features shots of Italian countryside accompanied by the soothing tones of their leader's voice.

The irony pointed out by Italy's national heritage organisation, is that the government have widely slashed funding to their historic sites as part of their austerity initiatives.

This is also true of the UK, as the weakened pound encourages travelers to stay in British Isles; the tourism budget faces a cut of nearly 50 per cent.

As Greece and Portugal suffer a decrease in tourism, both Egypt and Morocco are enjoying a rise in visitors as they offer comparatively cheap excursions in stringent times.

As politicians are urged to stay at home for their vacations to support austerity initiatives, some have pragmatic reasons for not straying too far. In France politicians await an imminent cabinet reshuffle and it benefits to be near the capital in anticipation of the news.

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