Dubrovnik? Zagreb? Belgrade? Cities that for the past few years have been making headlines because of unrest are suddenly appearing on tourist itineraries. And the rush to reopen the troubled Balkan region to tourism is only one of many big changes--some good, some not so good--awaiting travelers in the upcoming year.
The U.S. economy is strong, unemployment is low and air fares remain a bargain, all important factors that are expected to stimulate travel in 1997. For example, Europe, always a popular destination for Americans, is expecting as many as 9.5 million transatlantic visitors this year, a half-million increase over 1996, according to Neil Martin, spokesman for the European Travel Commission. Curiously, tourism officials are urging Americans to see the Old World now before the numbers are even greater. By the year 2000, as many as 12 million Americans may be heading for Europe annually.
On the plus side, travelers will continue to find big bargains in cruises. At least seven new ships are entering the cruise fleet in the months ahead, according to Bernadette Suski-Harding, spokeswoman for the Cruise Lines International Assn., and the number of cabins is expected to exceed the demand for them, keeping rates down. Meanwhile, as the United States did years ago, Europe is moving toward deregulation of its airline industry, and the cost of flights between many European cities should continue to drop. In addition, more last-minute bargains in domestic air fares, offbeat trips and hotel rooms will be popping up on the Internet this year.
On the down side, travelers may find it increasingly hard to book hotel rooms at the last minute, particularly in convention and popular vacation cities, because the supply of rooms and the demand for them currently are balanced. As a result, bargain rates will be harder to find.
Certainly the biggest foreseeable event affecting tourism in 1997 is the transfer of Hong Kong from Great Britain to China at midnight on June 30. Travelers will have to decide whether to go now, to see the fabled city as it is, or to wait and witness the changes that may result from Chinese authority.
In Europe, the special celebrations this year are in Monaco, which is marking the 700th anniversary of the Grimaldi family reign, and in the Norwegian city of Trondheim and the Polish city of Gdansk, each of which is honoring its birth 1,000 years ago. Thessaloniki, Greece's second city, has been dubbed Europe's cultural capital for 1997, making it a yearlong focus for the arts. Vienna will commemorate the 200th anniversary of composer Franz Schubert's birth with exhibits at the Schubert Birthplace, now a museum, and concerts of his music.
