mjmooney Posted June 6, 2022 VT Supporter Share Posted June 6, 2022 6 minutes ago, Mark Albrighton said: But then do other countries need such pageantry to advertise why people should visit? I’m not sure they do. tbf, most places have better weather. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted June 6, 2022 Moderator Share Posted June 6, 2022 16 minutes ago, tonyh29 said: never thought anything you could say would have me longing for Starmer as PM Careful now @Dodgykneeswill be hunting you down 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panto_Villan Posted June 6, 2022 Share Posted June 6, 2022 29 minutes ago, Mark Albrighton said: I find it wryly amusing when the tourism argument comes up in support of her maj, there’s also an accompanying sense (from some), that those who don’t care for the Queen are unpatriotic or “doing Britain down”. I’m of the belief that the country has ****ing loads of non royal family related attractions to offer tourists. Personally, I think people who think the Queen and her family are the cornerstone of tourism are the ones “doing Britain down”. It doesn't really have to be either or, does it? Our country would still have plenty to offer tourists if the monarchy was gone, but that doesn't mean that some appeal wouldn't be lost if the monarchy were gone. The point is usually brought up because republicans are usually working on the assumption that the (very visible) costs of the monarchy are a net drain on the country's finances. Whereas if the monarchy is paying for itself via tourism and filling other functions we'd otherwise have to pay for then it continuing to exist is more acceptable to most. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodgyknees Posted June 6, 2022 Share Posted June 6, 2022 4 minutes ago, bickster said: Careful now @Dodgykneeswill be hunting you down *Sharpens knives* 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lichfield Dean Posted June 6, 2022 VT Supporter Share Posted June 6, 2022 (edited) 32 minutes ago, Davkaus said: I understand there's a tradition of regal names, but I don't think there's anything he could do to look more out of touch than renaming himself when he gains the throne. I don't know, King Consuela Banana Hammock has a ring to it... Edited June 6, 2022 by Lichfield Dean Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Albrighton Posted June 6, 2022 VT Supporter Share Posted June 6, 2022 7 minutes ago, Panto_Villan said: It doesn't really have to be either or, does it? Our country would still have plenty to offer tourists if the monarchy was gone, but that doesn't mean that some appeal wouldn't be lost if the monarchy were gone. The point is usually brought up because republicans are usually working on the assumption that the (very visible) costs of the monarchy are a net drain on the country's finances. Whereas if the monarchy is paying for itself via tourism and filling other functions we'd otherwise have to pay for then it continuing to exist is more acceptable to most. I’m not saying it has to be either/or. I’m saying that I don’t think they’re as crucial to tourism as they’re often purported to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisp65 Posted June 6, 2022 Share Posted June 6, 2022 This royalty helping tourism argument. Have I gone through life not realising France, the U.S., Turkey, Germany, Mexico, Italy, and China have a living Monarch? It’s just that all those countries get more foreign tourists than us. Or perhaps we’re top of the tourist attractions from monarchist tourists? If you exclude Spain and Thailand? Or perhaps people are just so weak minded they think we need Prince George of Cambridge (aged 8 ) lined up to be our automatic superior. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blandy Posted June 6, 2022 Moderator Share Posted June 6, 2022 7 minutes ago, chrisp65 said: This royalty helping tourism argument. Have I gone through life not realising France, the U.S., Turkey, Germany, Mexico, Italy, and China have a living Monarch? It’s just that all those countries get more foreign tourists than us. Or perhaps we’re top of the tourist attractions from monarchist tourists? If you exclude Spain and Thailand? Or perhaps people are just so weak minded they think we need Prince George of Cambridge (aged 8 ) lined up to be our automatic superior. That’s not really helping your point is it? I mean it’s unknowable whether we’d have more, the same, or fewer tourists without the parasi ..sorry… royals. That other nations have different numbers of tourists to the uk is also utterly irrelevant. Your last line is perhaps the best point - I mean who in their right mind wants to groom a small child to become some kind of symbolic token of a discredited and disfunctional hereditary monarchy? edit: feck. I’ve broken my self imposed absence from this thread. Gah! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Albrighton Posted June 6, 2022 VT Supporter Share Posted June 6, 2022 2 hours ago, mjmooney said: tbf, most places have better weather. They do. I’m just not sure how much it weighs on peoples minds when deciding on where to visit. “Hmmm, well on the one hand Country A has better weather than Country B, plenty of cultural attractions…but Country B has a better track record when it comes to pomp and circumstance…” But then I live in a country where there is a reverence for a monarchy, so it’s not something I feel I need to find in another country when deciding where to visit. Perhaps residents of other countries want that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisp65 Posted June 6, 2022 Share Posted June 6, 2022 4 minutes ago, blandy said: That’s not really helping your point is it? I mean it’s unknowable whether we’d have more, the same, or fewer tourists without the parasi ..sorry… royals. That other nations have different numbers of tourists to the uk is also utterly irrelevant. Your last line is perhaps the best point - I mean who in their right mind wants to groom a small child to become some kind of symbolic token of a discredited and disfunctional hereditary monarchy? edit: feck. I’ve broken my self imposed absence from this thread. Gah! I think the whole tourism point is bogus. But if people want to clutch that straw, they need to understand it doesn’t stack up when other countries get more tourists and they appear to have misplaced their kings and queens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Only2McInallys Posted June 6, 2022 Share Posted June 6, 2022 A conversation you are never likely to hear. Where shall we go on holiday? Well it must be a country with a monarch.And now that the United Kingdom have just abolished theirs will have to go to Thailand or Japan instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blandy Posted June 6, 2022 Moderator Share Posted June 6, 2022 Just now, chrisp65 said: they need to understand it doesn’t stack up when other countries get more tourists and they appear to have misplaced their kings and queens. The argument around tourist numbers for other nations is (IMO) utterly irrelevant either way. As for the UK I suspect the royals bring in some tourists, but probably not so many, really. I mean tourists don’t get to meet them or anything. As someone said earlier, it’s perhaps more that the world media coverage of them maybe acts a bit like advertising. Then again, various nations are in the process of binning of her Maj as nominal head of state, so the worldwide popularity is waning to the level of irritant/ wierd, mostly harmless curiosity. That nonce one hasn’t helped the cause a great deal, either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colhint Posted June 6, 2022 Share Posted June 6, 2022 37 minutes ago, Mark Albrighton said: They do. I’m just not sure how much it weighs on peoples minds when deciding on where to visit. “Hmmm, well on the one hand Country A has better weather than Country B, plenty of cultural attractions…but Country B has a better track record when it comes to pomp and circumstance…” But then I live in a country where there is a reverence for a monarchy, so it’s not something I feel I need to find in another country when deciding where to visit. Perhaps residents of other countries want that. We come in 10th place in Number of visitors in the world. The nine above us all have more annual sunshine. Top 10 Countries Most Popular with Tourists (by number of 2019 visitor arrivals) France - 90.0 million Spain - 83.7 million United States - 79.3 million China - 65.7 million Italy - 64.5 million Turkey - 51.2 million Mexico - 45.0 million Thailand - 39.8 million Germany - 39.6 million United Kingdom - 39.4 million https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/most-visited-countries Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Albrighton Posted June 6, 2022 VT Supporter Share Posted June 6, 2022 7 minutes ago, colhint said: We come in 10th place in Number of visitors in the world. The nine above us all have more annual sunshine. Top 10 Countries Most Popular with Tourists (by number of 2019 visitor arrivals) France - 90.0 million Spain - 83.7 million United States - 79.3 million China - 65.7 million Italy - 64.5 million Turkey - 51.2 million Mexico - 45.0 million Thailand - 39.8 million Germany - 39.6 million United Kingdom - 39.4 million https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/most-visited-countries Yeah by “how much it weighs on peoples minds”, I mean whether there’s a monarchy at the possible holiday destination, not the weather (my opening sentence doesn’t read like that, admittedly). Weather is a bigger factor. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sne Posted June 6, 2022 Share Posted June 6, 2022 Swedish king wished the people of Sweden a happy midsummer in his annual 6 of June National day speech today. You had one job dude. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villa4europe Posted June 6, 2022 Share Posted June 6, 2022 2 hours ago, colhint said: We come in 10th place in Number of visitors in the world. The nine above us all have more annual sunshine. Top 10 Countries Most Popular with Tourists (by number of 2019 visitor arrivals) France - 90.0 million Spain - 83.7 million United States - 79.3 million China - 65.7 million Italy - 64.5 million Turkey - 51.2 million Mexico - 45.0 million Thailand - 39.8 million Germany - 39.6 million United Kingdom - 39.4 million https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/most-visited-countries Then split that 39.4m in to London, they get circa 20m visitors a year, 50% of international tourists visiting the UK visit london You then won't be able to separate those 20m in to who goes to the London Eye and don't give a shit about the Palace but I'd guess that it's a big part of the package Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tegis Posted June 6, 2022 VT Supporter Share Posted June 6, 2022 1 hour ago, sne said: Swedish king wished the people of Sweden a happy midsummer in his annual 6 of June National day speech today. You had one job dude. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MNVillan Posted June 6, 2022 Share Posted June 6, 2022 2 hours ago, colhint said: We come in 10th place in Number of visitors in the world. The nine above us all have more annual sunshine. Top 10 Countries Most Popular with Tourists (by number of 2019 visitor arrivals) France - 90.0 million Spain - 83.7 million United States - 79.3 million China - 65.7 million Italy - 64.5 million Turkey - 51.2 million Mexico - 45.0 million Thailand - 39.8 million Germany - 39.6 million United Kingdom - 39.4 million https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/most-visited-countries I definitely didn’t travel to England for the weather. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colhint Posted June 6, 2022 Share Posted June 6, 2022 I sort of get why Americans don't travel much. When I was younger Sunday holiday shows were all about sunshine in the summer and skiing in winter. The US has both in abundance, a bit like France. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisp65 Posted June 6, 2022 Share Posted June 6, 2022 19 minutes ago, MNVillan said: I definitely didn’t travel to England for the weather. We’re you hoping to meet the queen? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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