They are romanticized and have lots of history for many Americans. The French helped us break away from Britain all those years ago and many of us never forgot that. They even gifted us the Statue of Liberty which has become a National Treasure many aspire to see for those living here. Not to mention the Eiffel Tower which has been a strong symbol of romance here for a long time. Notre Dame as well is something that invokes images of something awe inspiring.
Britain meanwhile become a close ally over WW2 and English speaking Americans are curious of life across the pond where people speak the same as we do but sound quite different. I think there’s a bit of fantasy at play with the mystique of Britain, but the welcoming and lively people living there add to the fun.
Italy is well known for its beauty and delicious food, as well as its Roman history and art. Given the American government is modeled on certain parts of the English and Roman model, I believe there is a sense of connection to these pillars that led to our own society. Not to mention many Italian Americans are some that hold on the most to their Italian heritage, it makes you a little curious to how nice Italy is. Many American tourists speak highly of visiting Italy, often more so than France or even Britain for some.
I think what we’re familiar with is often what we are interested in. If there’s not a compelling reason or story to bring me to some place it would likely take more to sway me to go to that place. I personally haven’t visited Britain, France, or Italy but they are higher on my travel list than many places.
That makes sense. My perspective is skewed as an American who lived in Germany for 10 years (and I was fortunate enough to visit these 3 countries among others as well). It’s true that you don’t hear many Americans mention, say, Germany as a place they want to visit as much as the places in the meme.
Kinda interestingly that would not have been true had WW2 and Hitler rising to power never happened. German was one of the more spoken second languages in America even. I believe it would have been equally as mentioned today had those things not happened.
I feel Germany has steadily grown back over many decades to be an interesting place, but the main points of interest I feel comes from things like Oktoberfest, their engineering plants, and seeing the Autobahns over there. I’m personally clueless of a lot of the other cool things about Germany, I feel more mystique and cultural sites would pull someone like me to plan a trip out.
I lived there way back in the mid 80s to mid 90s, and even then WWII was 40-50 years in the past, ancient history. To me, at least. I’m thinking Neuschwanstein Castle might be the most recognizable German location to Americans, even if they don’t know where it’s actually located.
I think it is ancient history at this point, but I don’t think the new face of Germany has really reached the ears of many Americans. Although the same can be said of many countries. The only tales I hear of Germany are of elections and Oktoberfest for the most part, even though I know there’s more out there that is interesting rather than just the annual seasonal festival. I’ve definitely seen photos of the Neuschwanstein Castle before, but I personally would not have recognized it as a German castle. It does look very beautiful there though.
All this to say, I think more countries should be putting their culture out there on display and show why they are worth checking out to a degree. A trip to Europe could be a once in a lifetime trip for many Americans for instance. You really have to have a fulfilling promise for people to take the risk of going to a certain country; making friends, unique sights, feeling welcome, and having food and beverages worth writing home about. Lots of little things have to come together to make it worth pursuing the adventure of the not-so-beaten path.
Side note: I recall seeing a video recently where someone sounded judgmental about Westerners not traveling to their country, which has a unique history and culture, and instead they are going so other more well known countries. The thing is though, those other countries have sold many Westerners on their culture through all the forms of media and art they export. Rather than being judgmental, I think their message would have gone farther showing me why I should invest myself in their culture and why I should want to be a part of it. I bring this up because I feel more countries could take on an active role in sharing their stories, music, and culture across more mediums and even new mediums.
Tourism in general from outside of Europe targets these countries the most I believe. Don’t quote me on that one though, I don’t have a source at hand.
If you go to more than one country there, it’s traveling Europe. But why these countries specifically? Do Americans go to them way more than others?
They are romanticized and have lots of history for many Americans. The French helped us break away from Britain all those years ago and many of us never forgot that. They even gifted us the Statue of Liberty which has become a National Treasure many aspire to see for those living here. Not to mention the Eiffel Tower which has been a strong symbol of romance here for a long time. Notre Dame as well is something that invokes images of something awe inspiring.
Britain meanwhile become a close ally over WW2 and English speaking Americans are curious of life across the pond where people speak the same as we do but sound quite different. I think there’s a bit of fantasy at play with the mystique of Britain, but the welcoming and lively people living there add to the fun.
Italy is well known for its beauty and delicious food, as well as its Roman history and art. Given the American government is modeled on certain parts of the English and Roman model, I believe there is a sense of connection to these pillars that led to our own society. Not to mention many Italian Americans are some that hold on the most to their Italian heritage, it makes you a little curious to how nice Italy is. Many American tourists speak highly of visiting Italy, often more so than France or even Britain for some.
I think what we’re familiar with is often what we are interested in. If there’s not a compelling reason or story to bring me to some place it would likely take more to sway me to go to that place. I personally haven’t visited Britain, France, or Italy but they are higher on my travel list than many places.
That makes sense. My perspective is skewed as an American who lived in Germany for 10 years (and I was fortunate enough to visit these 3 countries among others as well). It’s true that you don’t hear many Americans mention, say, Germany as a place they want to visit as much as the places in the meme.
Kinda interestingly that would not have been true had WW2 and Hitler rising to power never happened. German was one of the more spoken second languages in America even. I believe it would have been equally as mentioned today had those things not happened.
I feel Germany has steadily grown back over many decades to be an interesting place, but the main points of interest I feel comes from things like Oktoberfest, their engineering plants, and seeing the Autobahns over there. I’m personally clueless of a lot of the other cool things about Germany, I feel more mystique and cultural sites would pull someone like me to plan a trip out.
I lived there way back in the mid 80s to mid 90s, and even then WWII was 40-50 years in the past, ancient history. To me, at least. I’m thinking Neuschwanstein Castle might be the most recognizable German location to Americans, even if they don’t know where it’s actually located.
I think it is ancient history at this point, but I don’t think the new face of Germany has really reached the ears of many Americans. Although the same can be said of many countries. The only tales I hear of Germany are of elections and Oktoberfest for the most part, even though I know there’s more out there that is interesting rather than just the annual seasonal festival. I’ve definitely seen photos of the Neuschwanstein Castle before, but I personally would not have recognized it as a German castle. It does look very beautiful there though.
All this to say, I think more countries should be putting their culture out there on display and show why they are worth checking out to a degree. A trip to Europe could be a once in a lifetime trip for many Americans for instance. You really have to have a fulfilling promise for people to take the risk of going to a certain country; making friends, unique sights, feeling welcome, and having food and beverages worth writing home about. Lots of little things have to come together to make it worth pursuing the adventure of the not-so-beaten path.
Side note: I recall seeing a video recently where someone sounded judgmental about Westerners not traveling to their country, which has a unique history and culture, and instead they are going so other more well known countries. The thing is though, those other countries have sold many Westerners on their culture through all the forms of media and art they export. Rather than being judgmental, I think their message would have gone farther showing me why I should invest myself in their culture and why I should want to be a part of it. I bring this up because I feel more countries could take on an active role in sharing their stories, music, and culture across more mediums and even new mediums.
Tourism in general from outside of Europe targets these countries the most I believe. Don’t quote me on that one though, I don’t have a source at hand.