NON - What does it mean for tourists?

The people have voted. Regardless of the reasoning, they have voted NO.

So, what does that mean for tourists? I assume that the euro will take a slide of some sort but %26quot;how much%26quot;, %26quot;how far%26quot;, and, more importantly to everyone, %26quot;how long%26quot;?

Many of the posters here are preparing to come to Europe, specifically France/Paris. Will the dollar be stronger now? Is this the start of a long slide for the Euro or will it be short-term thing that may just be a few weeks or so?

Something tells me that this may be the start of a loooong battle among the countries of Europe to determine the fate of the entire European Union.

Bon Chance!

|||

nothing, absolutely nothing will change for tourists.

|||

%26gt;%26gt;%26gt;So, what does that mean for tourists? I assume that the euro will take a slide of some sort but %26quot;how much%26quot;, %26quot;how far%26quot;, and, more importantly to everyone, %26quot;how long%26quot;?%26lt;%26lt;%26lt;

Unless you have access to pretty sophisticated international exchange arbitrage programs, don%26#39;t bet on it.

|||

Floski, don%26#39;t bet the farm on this. The non doesn%26#39;t change anything to UE as it was last saturday! The Euro started a slide down friday but today has gained back its loss (0,2%).

The US interest rates policy would have more effect on the $/Euro value than this referendum!

|||

Thanks, y%26#39;all.

I had seen some wire reports that the Euro was sliding due to the vote.

Aaaaand, since we%26#39;re leaving in one week, I was kinda sorta hoping for a nice short-term plunge. Just the ramblings of a poor fool who has invested way too much for this trip. ;-))

|||

Floski, you are amongst the best of the fools. All of us in some way or another invest too much on our trips to Paris. Look at all the time we invest on this forum, trying to learn one more small insignificant detail about Paris to ease our trips there. Have a great voyage, and don%26#39;t forget to come back with a full detailed report :)

|||

It means a better exchange rate for your dollar!

|||

LOL

Why, thank you, Cedre (and your shoes ;-)! I%26#39;m glad to be among the best of something! This may be the last chance for us to do something big as a family before our kid goes off to college or gets married.

And Pix, that%26#39;s what I%26#39;m hoping for, at least for next week, anyway! I sure don%26#39;t want to get there and have to scrimp on souvenirs and other things.

|||

The Euro%26#39;s going to get at least three more slams in succession: (1) the Dutch will vote non as well this coming Wednesday, (2) Schroeder and his party%26#39;s spanking in Germany and (3) Chirac will get spanked out of power in France. (2) and (3) are inevitable but (3) is particularly significant because Chirac has been such an advocate of unification policies.

The US dollar should get relatively and progressively stronger until the Chinese currency deals start slowly taking effect in a year or so--the the US dollar should start dropping like a rock. IMO, the US interest rate workings will have much less effect than these four near-term effects.

Long-term, the Euro may see some catastrophic effects in a decade or so due to bankruptcy of major socialist economies. It could be a neck-to-neck race for the bottom by the Euro and the US dollar.

|||

Well all this sounds rather depressing ...

|||

raphy -

I am not so sure that it is a bad thing or so deperessing as all that. I lived for half my life in Europe, and I am a very strong pro-European, but if I could have voted in France yesterday, I think I would have voted NON.

I think the young French people in particular voted against the Constitution not because they are against Europe or European unity, but perhaps because they were saying that their generation wants a different Europe.

When I was a young European, the idea of a united Europe was just an idea. Then for many millions across Europe it became an ideal which promised not just economic prosperity but continued peace and stability, something Europe as a whole had almost never known for more than a few decades at a time.

Now that ideal has become an ideology embodied in the appalling document that is called the Constitution, a document that only a Eurocrat could love, and not even a Eurocrat could get excited by. (Can Eurocrats get excited by anything?)

So, I do not think Euroipe is dead, but I think the young people in particular are demanding a fresh approach to the idea of Europe, an idea which can again become an ideal, not a tired ideology.

This is a hopeful thing perhaps?