As you say, “the recession clobbers one of Europe’s biggest industries” (“Clouds Over the Mediterranean,” August 15, 2009). You are talking about tourism, of course. In addition to so many people it employs directly, it indirectly employs many more from a large number of industries down multiple supply chains: food processing, agriculture, construction, trade, transportation, and so forth. The industry’s decline is thus affecting the entire economies of France, Spain, and Italy, Europe’s biggest holiday destinations. Portugal, Greece, Turkey, and Croatia, among others, are affected just as badly, as well. It is therefore not surprising that many of those involved in the industry think like the Italian tourist magnate you quote, who claims that the recession is an opportunity to push grandiose new schemes, such as marinas, golf courses, and theme parks. This is probably a mistake, as you argue, but without elaboration. Europe’s tourism already depends, and will depend even more in the future, on a plethora of cultural monuments left by ancient Greece and Rome, as well as the Middle Ages and Renaissance, rather than on any of the above distractions, which can be built anywhere around the world. Tourists will come in growing numbers from countries not graced with cultural heritage as rich or as well preserved. Besides, Europe will have ever less to offer by way of any other industry. Tourism may in time become its biggest industry, too, and it is thus increasingly important to get it right as soon as possible.