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Europe, of course, is not the only beneficiary of American savings accounts. Mexico, thanks to the devalued peso, is still attracting record numbers of tourists; at resorts from Cancun to Acapulco, many of the hotels are booked solidly through summer at bargain rates. One of the top tourist attractions this summer is Jamaica, stable again after several years of political turmoil. Israel, with diversified activities ranging from inner-tubing down the Hatsbani River to skindiving at Elath, expects more than 300,000 American vacationers, of whom only 50% are Jewish. India is cashing in on its recent film fame with such offbeat ventures as a 15-or 21-day trip, "In the Footsteps of the Mahatma," tracing Gandhi's life (at $85 a day), and vacations at The Lake Palace hotel in Udaipur, where parts of Octopussy were shot. Australia and New Zealand are enjoying a tourist boom, thanks to Yanks. Luxury liners expect to draw 15% more passengers than last year, and boast that 40% of the Love Boat crowd nowadays is under 35. There is an ever wider choice of far-out adventure vacations: trekking in the Himalayas, gorilla watching in Rwanda, bicycling through the People's Republic of China.
Touring in Europe these days also leaves more to individual choice. One boon for free spirits is the hotel voucher plan, available throughout Scandinavia and in Switzerland, by which travelers can choose in advance from hundreds of participating inns and hotels; a tourist is thus free to arrive with only 24 hours' prior notification. One way of escaping the formalities of hotel living is to stay at a farm or a country manor. Private agencies and government tourist commissions make such accommodations available at low prices. Many European countries offer prix fixe tourist meals that are obtainable at hundreds of restaurants for as little as $6.50.
Charter flights, which six years ago accounted for 28% of the tourist traffic, lost much of their business, but in the past two years have steadily regained force. This summer privately booked aircraft hope to take some 15% of all American tourists abroad. No longer is the charter trip uncertain and uncomfortable. Such is the buying power of travel wholesalers that packagers can almost always provide better rooms and entertainment for the price than the individual can negotiate. Says Air Florida Official Robin Cohn: "It's almost stupid not to take a charter package."
To accommodate the sophisticated, independent-minded traveler, Thomas Cook Inc.—which originated the package tour in the 19th century—trains all its counselors to interview customers about their special hobbies and interests. Says Rod Fensom, Cook's Chicago-based field marketing manager: "Americans are more involved with self-enrichment travel tailored to their own individual tastes. There is a resurgence of charter travel this year to single destinations. Gone are the days of the 'If it's Tuesday, this must be Belgium' tourist."