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Friday, October 31, 2014

With the War in Europe, Tourism Should Increase Here, 1914

“See the South,” from the Ashville Citizen, October, 1914

It must be apparent to the most obtuse mind that the millions of dollars which have been spent annually in Europe by American tourists will stay in the United States next year, and the question naturally arises as to where travelers who have no taste for blood-stained fields of battle will spend their leisure time and surplus cash. Naturally the South stands forward with the strongest claim along the line of scenic and climatic advantages. Rich in the possession of numerous resorts, and boasting natural beauties which even Europe cannot surpass, the South is the logical point for Americans who have not seen half the wonders of their own country. “See American First” is an old and appealing slogan, and the Citizen would suggest that “See the South” should carry even greater force when properly presented. Under this head of course would come Western North Carolina, and we believe that a well-directed campaign at the hands of the Western North Carolina Association and other bodies would make the “See the South” slogan heard and heeded throughout the country.

These thoughts are not born of idle visions. It stands to reason that the thousands of Americans who have been accustomed to travel in Europe will cast about for substitute fields. As recently remarked in these columns, the appeal of America will undoubtedly find ready response even in the lands that are now passing through the horrors of war. The wealthy classes of Europe must eventually turn to a land where war and its attendant disasters are unknown, and we confidently look forward to the time when all lines of American life will receive potent additions from the ranks of European refugees.

But to return to our own people and our own section, the South has never faced greater opportunities than it faces today, and the results to be attained rest wholly with Southerners themselves. It goes without saying that other sections of the country are fully alive to the present situation, and the South must be up and doing.

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