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itar-Telegram pth TEXAS MAy 1965 I By IDA BELLE HICKS Well, at last the Europeans are getting excited about the American visitor, rather than taking him for granted, Of all the countries making overtures, France undoubtedly leads the lot. And not without reason, In recent years, people have been asking- to be routed r around France rather than through this beautiful and de- s lightful country that has suffered so much from wars and political strife, money grabbers and unpleasant public servants. ?╜* The French Government Tourist Office has announced that "a fresh breeze of friendly determination is- sweeping - out from Paris to clear the tourist field of stubble left by last year's criticism of France's welcome to foreign visitors." French tourist authorities are convinced that negative elements have been greatly exaggerated but nevertheless they are taking every precaution to prevent any further discontent. * * - * RENE BARDY, director general of the French Government Tourist Office, has gone to great lengths to spread the word of his country's 1965 efforts toward friendliness. On May 17, Pierre Dumas, French minister of tourism, nnd Jean Ravanel, the tourist commissioner in Paris, extended a welcome to all Americans arriving at Orly Airport. Each guest was given a. flacon of perfume, a rose from the Loire Valley and a book o\ "smile checks," official; ?╟≤..* on hand to greet every arrival through the summer but each visitor may have the book of smile checks and join the competition himself. At the end of the tourist season, the French hosts and the visitors will be awarded prizes based on amiability. son River Valley Association has been organized to promote tourism in the Hudson River Valley region. Museums) parks, historic houses and other tourist attractions have banded together to focus attention on the interesting 'resources of that New York) area. An American, spending his vacation hi the United States, would find the Hudson River Valley a place of unusual interest for |he camera enthusiast or th<jise devoted to history. PARIS IX THE SPRING?╟÷ The old and the new are demonstrated here as a modern party boat glides p^t the 800- vear-old cathedral Notre Dame de Paris. --French National Government Photo Both are of interest to the hordes of tourists who will test France's new hospitality program. More than 170 Paris policemen are wearing emblems showing the foreign language they speak and hostess guides are being placed in the major subway stations. At points of entry throughout the country expanded facilities are being set up to assist foreigners in their own language, to simplify formalities of travel and to insure friendly contacts. sit * * THREE OF FRANCE'S best known poster artists have produced eye-catching designs to support the 1965 Visit U/S,A by Air"* France. re than 21,000 copies oft a poster by Roger Excoffoni have been distributed throughout the world. That one, highly stylized, focuses attention on the flowing form of an American highway "clover leaf" intersection. The back* ground depicts strong forms $ skyscrapers, a wigwam, cac tus and a riverboat. " Jacques Nathan-Gar amond's poster illustrates four corners of the United States and is 1 simply captioned "Visit the lu.S.A," ?[ Guy Georget's poster features California, using a sun- ?√ß bather, a palm tree and a movie spotlight to convey the idea of California most popu- 1 lar with overseas friends. Nearly 60,000 posters have been distributed and displayed Th 112 cities throughout the world, urging people of different nations to visit America, $ s$t ?╜jf JOHN SCHNEIDER, southern representative of Air France with offices in Atlanta, said on a recent trip to Fort Worth: "Surely all this effort should go a long way to dispel the notion that the French are unfriendly . . . sometimes, ii is we Americans who take the ill will along with us across the sea." Two Fort Worth families who have fond memories of visits to France are the Bennett Smiths of 2529 Stadium, who traveled through France by car, and the Robert P. Duprees of 6233 Locke, who spent three months in Paris where they found the prices high but the people pleasant. While summer tourists rush back and forth across the At- lantic~by air, a French cruiser line is planning a leisurely cruise program for its SS j France. Guy de Berc, general i manager has announced a j five-month cruise schedule, j beginning Nov. 10 with a Car- I ibbean itinerary. This sailing is to be followed by an expanded program that will run into 1986 under the title of "Joie de Vivre Winter Cruises." * * * HERE AT HOME: A Hud- Among the points of interest are the U. S. Military Academy, WTest Point; the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Home and Library; Sunnyside, the elegant summer home of Washington Irving who wrote the legends of Rip Van Winkle and the "Headless Horseman," and museums exhibiting relics of Early America. This is the kind of a trip that combines well with a visit to the New York World's Fair which will run through the summer. FIELD NOTES: A $9 pillion expansion to the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas will provide facilities for handling 1,200 persons in conventions, meeting anj> banquets. . The German federal railroad will inaugurate its first schedule of high-speed trains on June 25, the day the International Transport Exhibition opens in Munich. The 125- m.p.h. trains will link Augsburg with the fair grounds at Munich. The 34th annual Central City Opera and Play Festival will open June 26 and run through July 31. Between these dates Tne Central City Opera House Association will present three operas conducted by Emerson Buckley. Further information may be obtained by writing the" association: 200/W. 14th Ave., Denver, Colo.; 80204. Motorists with Rhode Island in their plans may receive a free state map and special events listings. Address, Rhode Island Development Council Roger Williams Bldg,, Haves St,, Providence, R, I., 02908. ?·??