Sunday Travel Shot: Geneva, Switzerland

Lake Geneva is the largest natural freshwater lake in Western Europe

Tags: geneva, lake geneva, switzerland

Who Visits America The Most?

Canadians still visit the United States way more than any other foreign country around the world.

Last week I wrote about how America was voted the “most liked” country in the world. So with so much love for the U.S. going around, one question must be asked. Has the world’s crush on Uncle Sam helped with the country’s tourism? In a word…kinda.

Year after year when the U.S. Commerce Department’s Office of Travel & Tourism (OTTI) releases their data of which countries have visited America the most, two destinations continuously top the list – #1 Canada and #2 Mexico. That really should not come as a surprise since both countries sandwich the U.S. and are more easily accessible than any other locations on the planet.

So who else is checking out the streets of New York, the Hollywood hills, and all points in between? Well coming in at #3 is the United Kingdom. Even with a decline of 16.9% in tourism through July 2009, the U.K. is still the most popular visitors from overseas.

Another country that visits often is #4 Japan, which also saw a major decline of 17.6% for year-to-year tourism traffic. Coming in at #5 was Germany, and yes just like the rest of the countries listed, Deutschland saw a 7.5% drop in tourists between July 2008 and 2009.

Now if you are wondering why so many people have halted hauling themselves to the U.S., it is quite simple – the economy. Due to a worldwide economic meltdown over the last year and a half, international tourism is down across the board sharply. Just like many Americans have skipped taking worldwide jaunts in favor of more domestic trips, so has the rest of the world apparently.

To help remedy the continuous decline of foreign visitors, Congress is considering a Travel Promotion Act. In it, anyone that shows up to the United States must pay an additional $10 fee. The money collected would be used to start a travel campaign in various countries around the world to boost interest in visiting the United States.

Currently the Commerce Department is not funding any ad campaigns to promote travel to the States. Yes you read that correctly…no marketing at all! The last time the U.S. was promoted was back in 2007, and even then it only received a measly $4-$9 million dollars. What a joke.

On a positive note, with the economy getting slightly…and I stress slightly better, tourism has picked up a bit and that is always a good thing for any country. Below is a list of the top 20 countries that visited the United States between January and July 2009, the amount of visitors, and how much tourism has decreased from the same time the previous year.

1. Canada (10, 108, 302 visitors) – 9% decline

2. Mexico (3,308,779) – 9.9% decline
   

3. United Kingdom (2,149,149) – 16.9% decline
   

4. Japan (1,564,441) – 17.6% decline
   

5. Germany (921,874) – 7.5% decline

6. France (694,340) – 1.1% decline

7. Brazil (469, 985) – a slight increase

8. South Korea (415,509) – 12% decline

9. Italy (379, 641) – 4% decline

10. Australia (376, 614) – 2.7% decline

The remaining 11-20 include: India, People’s Republic of China, Netherlands, Spain, Venezuela, Ireland, Colombia, Argentina, Switzerland, and Sweden.

Courtesy of Forbes Traveler.

Tags: argentina, australia, brazil, canada, colombia, france, germany, india, ireland, italy, japan, mexico, netherlands, People's Republic of China, south korea, spain, sweden, switzerland, united kingdom, united states of america, Venezuela

USA Is The World’s “Most Liked” Country…No, Really It Is

Nein, nein, nein! Warum!!! Yup it’s true. Germany has indeed been dethroned as the “most liked” country in the world. No longer is the land of giant pretzels and beers the most beloved according to a new survey. So what country is “most liked” right now?

The United States of America.

Yeah I was shocked too. But the results from a summer 2009 survey of 20,000 people in 20 geographically and economically diverse countries revealed that the world is seeing the US of A in a whole new light.

According to Forbes, which released the results, “The survey asked respondents to rank 50 countries in six categories: governance, culture, products and services, people, tourism and immigration/investment.” Many are saying that the jump to 1st is solely based on the popularity that President Barack Obama has right now around the world.  “The Obama Effect” has truly been phenomenal for the global image of the United States.

So just how much has the world changed its opinion on the USA? Well according to Simon Anholt, an independent policy advisor which conducted the survey, British approval jumped from 53% the previous year to 69% today. Love among the French rose to 75% over the last 12 months, up from 42% in 2008. Tres bien!

This was the first time that the United States came in first place since this survey started back in 2005. Last year USA was ranked seventh in the world. What’s not to love about us? We started two wars, currently suffer from the worst job market in nearly 100 years, lack affordable health care to millions of citizens, fail to provide a decent education to our youth, suffer from an obesity epidemic, refuse to use the metric system, and have “news” stations show balloon boy coverage 24/7 instead of actual world events.

Oh yeah Americans will sleep soundly tonight knowing that people around the world like us…they really, really like us. Take that the rest of the world! By the way the previous paragraph was not some “Anti-American” soap box speech. I love my country, but it does have a few flaws right now.

Here are the results of the survey’s top 10 “Most Liked Countries” around the world with their ranking from last year in parenthesis:

1. United States (7)

2. France (2)

3. Germany (1)

4. United Kingdom (3)

5. Japan (5)

6. Italy (6)

7. Canada (4)

8. Switzerland (8)

9. Australia (9)

10. Spain (tie) (11)

10. Sweden (tie) (10)

Tags: australia, canada, france, germany, italy, japan, president barack obama, spain, switzerland, united kingdom, united states of america, usa

Heavenly Chocolates, Bowls Of Melted Cheese, And An $80 Umbrella?: My Trip To Zurich, Switzerland

I was bitten by the travel bug at a very young age. I still remember being about ten years old and writing down a list of places that I wanted to visit. I jotted down the typical “touristy” locales into my notebook (hey remember I was only ten!). Destinations like San Francisco, Chicago, Dublin, and Rome all made the cut. As the years went on my taste in travel changed dramatically.

So my little travel check list saw many changes over time. I would add new places I found to be interesting and deleted places that I no longer cared about visiting. A few moved up the ladder of importance, while many were moved down the list due to being less important or just too expensive to visit. But there was always one place that remained in the top three throughout it all. Switzerland was that constant.

I was lucky enough to check out one of my travel “must see” destinations when I embarked on a three week European vacation. The three week trek was originally suppose to just be an Italian getaway to the cities of Rome, Milan, Bologna, and Florence. But after getting all worked up over the idea of being so close to Switzerland, I just added a three day trip to Zurich, with a quick day trip to nearby Lucerne. I convinced myself that it just made sense. I mean why not just fly into Zurich, hang out for a long weekend and then take Rail Europe down through Italy.

Squeaky clean Zurich Airport.

So after booking all my flights, hotels, and attractions, I counted down the days until I would be leaving for Europe…and Switzerland in particular. I boarded an American Airlines flight on a Thursday night, and arrived in the land of cheese and chocolate on a rainy and chilly February 29 morning. Upon exiting the plane, I stepped into Zurich Airport and was in awe. This had to be one of the cleanest and most high tech looking airports I have ever seen on my travels.

The Limmat on a cloudy day in Zurich.

Zurich is the the largest city in Switzerland, with an estimated 376,000 people calling this quaint city home. It is situated alongside the Limmat, giving it that charmingly European look. Unfortunately I was visiting in late winter, and all the boats were out of commission until April. So I was unable to ride down the river for that unique view of the city. But since the city is split by a small body of water, I was able to simply cross one of its many little bridges and snap a great pic of some Zurich’s beautiful skyline.

Do you like your cheese in a big and extremely hot pot? Then head to Swiss Chuchi for amazing fondue.

On night one, I decided to check out fondue, yes it is cliche, but I am in Switzerland dammit! So I check out the highly touted Swiss Chuchi fondue restaurant located in the lobby of the Hotel Adler. You can not miss it, since they have a blue cow hanging from the second floor of the establishment. Upon walking into this great looking and equally great smelling restaurant, you feel as if you are walking into a friend’s home. The room was so cozy, warm, and welcoming. You felt a real sense of happiness and excitement as people enjoyed or awaited their delicious meals.

I ordered two fondue pots, one with just cheese and the other with ham and cheese. Both had white wine in them and looked insanely delicious when they arrived at my table. The fondue came with a big bowl of cubed bread pieces. Never been to a fondue restaurant? It is pretty simple – poke at bread, dip in cheese, repeat this process over and over until your belly is full. My kind of meal! I ordered some amazing locally made Swiss wine to assist me with washing down all that fondue goodness. Very tasty way to start off my weekend in Zurich. It was a long day of travel, so I hit the pillow before midnight.

Day two I awoke to find that I only had one English speaking channel available on the television in my the hotel room. Luckily for this news hound it was BBC World News. So after quickly freshening up and listening to the top stories of the day, I ventured out to see what this city had in store for me today.

"Mmmmmmmmmm chocolate." - Homer Simpson

It was another rainy and windy day In Zurich, but that did not damper my spirits whatsoever. I was in Zurich and nothing was going to ruin my weekend here. For breakfast I went to one of Zurich’s most popular locations, Confiserie Sprungli AG or as locals simply call it Sprungli. To many Americans unfamiliar with that name, Sprungli is owned and operated by the Lindt chocolate company that we enjoy in the states.

The two-story shop has one floor dedicated to everything chocolate, but go upstairs and you have a great dining experience awaiting you. I ordered an omelet, a yogurt, a croissant and of course a hot chocolate. Sprungli is known for their ultra chocolaty hot chocolate, just the way I like it. Minutes later the waitress brings out this perfect looking egg and cheese combo with a sliced cherry tomato on top. It was so fluffy and tasted great – I wish I had ordered two!

Second floor restaurant located in the Sprungli chocolate shop.

Then I tried some of their extra creamy yogurt covered in honey and devoured one of their warm crusty croissants. Nom nom nom! With some room left in my belly, I made sure to partake in a swill of Swiss hot chocolate! Oh yeah, it was greatness in a mug! Definitely stop into Sprungli for a memorable Swiss culinary experience.

One issue I have with a city like Zurich is that it is expensive…very expensive. Here is an example of Zurich’s pricey side. I stayed at the Zurich Marriott after bidding $89/night for a 4-star room on Priceline. Now while that rate is downright great for a city like Zurich, it was the extras that the hotel wanted to charge that shocked me. One day the rain was so heavy that I needed an umbrella. It was an early Sunday morning and no stores were open yet. I asked the concierge if the hotel had any umbrellas available for guests. She smiled and said that they did, but I needed to fill out a form in case I lost it. No problem, as I thought I heard her say it would cost me eight dollars if I damaged or lost the umbrella.

It turned out that she did not say eight, but instead eighty. Yes the Marriott wanted to charge me $80 U.S. if I did not return their precious umbrella. I begrudgingly signed the form, as I did not feel like getting soaked or staying inside until the storm ended. I guarded that damn umbrella as if it was a newborn baby. In addition to the most expensive umbrella known to man, the Zurich Marriott also wanted $32 U.S. dollars per 24 hours to use their “high speed” internet in the room. What the hell!? I obviously passed on that offer and luckily came across a Starbucks down the road that had complimentary Wi-Fi for customers. While I am not a fan of their coffee, it sure did taste great while I browsed through my emails free of charge.

This brings up an important travel tip…never pay for hotel internet! Why on earth should any customer staying at a hotel in this day and age have to spend extra to get internet access in their room. Most of the time it is slow anyway. When traveling, if you get stuck with a hotel that is trying to squeeze some more moolah from your pocket with an internet surcharge, simply ask if they provide it in the lobby area. Many hotels have free internet in certain parts of the building.

If not, then go investigate nearby coffee shops to see if they provide it. If you can find ways to save a little cash on your travels, do so! Be a travel investigator before venturing to your location, especially if it is a foreign country. I ordered myself a medium coffee in the Starbucks and grabbed a nice corner seat and used their Wi-Fi free of charge for 2 hours! I could have stayed all day if you wanted to, but I had more places to check out around Zurich.

St. Peter's Church

But as expensive as this European locale may be, it also has a ton of great attractions to check out on the cheap, and in most cases, absolutely free of charge. Just walking through the side streets of Zurich was a treat for yours truly. I stopped into a few churches and museums in order to check out some amazing Swiss art and history. St. Peter’s church is one location that you need to especially check out, as it boast the largest church clock face in the world.

Some of my fondest memories of Zurich, were simply walking by the river and checking out the architecture. Some other attractions you need to visit when in Zurich include the old Gothic church Fraumunster, the Romanesque church Grossmunster Cathedral (aka “Gross Monster”), Schweizerisches Landesmuseum, Kunsthaus art museum. Plus for all you shopaholics looking for a place to max out your credit cards, Bahnhofstrasse will be happy to accommodate you.

Zurich is a bike friendly city that provides free bikes, skates and other fun means of transportation to locals and visitors throughout the town at several checkpoints. If you are looking to get outside of the city limits and explore, hop a train to the nearby story book city of Lucerne for a day trip. If you do so, be sure to dine at Rossini’s, which offers amazing homemade pizza and pastas in a delightful setting.

Not sure why I took a pic next to this trolley. But I liked it.

A lot of times when I visit certain cities, I will call them a “one and done” destination. I plan a trip, visit, and then check it off my list and move on. But not Zurich, I can see myself going back to this lovely Swiss capitol again and again. Zurich often gets a bad reputation as being a place known for its abundance of banks and old money. It sometimes gets overlooked by the more romantic and popular European cities like Paris and Rome. But it is so much more than that. The beauty, culture and food alone make it a great place to visit. It may have taken 19-years, but I can now cross Switzerland off my list of “must see” destinations.

Some random Zurich facts:

• Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland.
• In 2006 and 2009,  Zurich was named the city with the best quality of life in the world.
• This city also has been named the wealthiest city in all of Europe.
• The official language is German, but many locals also speak English, Italian and various other South Slavic languages fluently.
• Unemployment is not a major issue in Zurich, as it stands at around 2.6%.
• Due to the cultural diversity of Zurich, major companies like IBM, Google, eBay, Microsoft, Toyota Europe, and General Motors Europe have opened offices within the city.
• Some famous residents that have called Zurich their second home included Albert Einstein, James Joyce (who is also buried in Zurich), and Tina Turner.

Tags: chocolate, ebay, europe, french, general motors, german, google, italian, lindt, microsoft, sprungli, switzerland, toyota, Zürich

Friday Travel Shot: Basel, Switzerland

It is the beginning of a long holiday weekend here in the United States, so I will not be around much until Tuesday. In the meantime enjoy daily “Travel Shots” from around the world until I get back. Drink up, eat plenty of BBQ, and have a great weekend.

Basel is a geographically interesting city in Switzerland due to the fact that it is where three countries meet (Switzerland, France and Germany). Plus the airport has two arrival exits - one for Switzerland and one for France.

Tags: basel, europe, switzerland