Effect of Eurail on Tourism and Travel in Europe
Eurail is a series of passes that allow almost unlimited train travel through 17 countries in Europe including Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
The passes must be bought before arrival in Europe, and are available for almost anyone in the world. Those excluded are persons who live in Europe, Turkey, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, or the Commonwealth of Independent States (the former Soviet Union)(Harris& Markson, 2000). The chart below shows the highlights of the programs.
The passes are controlled by various commissions that now are created and maintained by a mandate of the European Common Market. Before World War II, rail travel in Europe was a confusing venture, with check points and different fare structures in each country.
During World War II, European rail travel was primarily controlled by the Germans as they continued adding nations to the Third Reich. Following World War II, during the period of reconstruction, there were various tariff agreements and conventions developed to make rail travel less confusing (Beddingfield, 1997, 42).
The goal at that time was to bring back some of the romance of traveling by train and most people agree that the rail travel concept has existed in Europe for more than 170 years. Ferguson-Kosinski (2002) describes the situation like this. "Rail travel is the best way to get close to all that Europe has to offer, from big cities and quaint hamlets to scenic beauty and fascinating people. It is also the one form of transportation that conveniently and efficiently takes travelers practically anywhere and everywhere they want to go...in style" (Ferguson-Kosinski, 2002, xii)
17 countries and 1,432 cities and attractions are linked by the extensive European rail network -- a v
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