Not an economics major, are ya? If you pull roughly 1% GDP out of a country that grows about 1.5% a year, what do you think happens?
In 2003, when tourism was lowest...the French Economic growth slumped. In 04, when tourism make double digit recovers in France, the ecomony went up. Not to say tourism is the only cause, but you can't smile off billions of dollars being lost that was expected to come in:
according to this:
http://www.worldwatch.org/pubs/mag/2001/145/mos/
there were about 75 million tourists visiting france in 2000.
according to this:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/08/18/...ain636870.shtml
the number of americans who visited france in 2001 was 3,5 million.
you said tourism accounts for 8% of the gdp. then exactly how can you say that american tourism represent 1% of the gdp?
hint:
if tourism is 8% of the gdp and us tourism is 5% of all tourism. how much is then us tourism of the gdp...
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as for your question, it might lead to a recession. not a depression.