You're talking about the English royal family here. In the Netherlands, the royal family doesn't have a lot of shiny jewels or massive weddings that attract millions of people. It was on the news in quite a few countries, so I've read.
I was using them as an example, even other royal families like the dutch or spanish royal lines still attract tourists(although I will admit no family garners as mutch attention as the British), so I don't really see the need to get rid of them.
I don't know any real numbers, but I wouldn't be surprised if the Dutch Royal Family costs significantly more than it would bring up. I don't know of any big museums devoted to them that attracts massive amounts of visitors. Also, now that I think about it, I should try and find numbers for the festivities around April 30th.
But you seem to assume the royal family is responsible for every penny of revenue in British tourism, which it isn't. I think it's not even for a big part. Why'd you think people would visit a country on the other side of the ocean (for the US) just to look at one house from the other side of the gate? I think that's enough counter for your argument on the fact US citizens go all wild about the royal wedding (which cost about £20 million of tax money, by the way). One little wedding won't make you that much money extra on tourism on the long term. I know. This is going to be a real pain for the PvdA, since Job Cohen was at least a bit known as the ex-mayor of Amsterdam. Just go for the Pirate Party. I think internet liberty is a bigger issue right now than social laws, since the social situation is good enough right now, and the SP is going to win the next elections anyway (as it looks right now), so there's no need for a socialist party. Because it costs twice as much money as the British royal family (over €114 million). And the Netherlands don't make half as much money on tourism as the British do. That gives our royal family more than 4 times as much relative financial weight than the British one. And again, why should you give one family more rights just because some of their far ancestors did something nice? That's as stupid as spitting in every Germans' face for the Holocaust. Even the UN says the British should get rid of the royals for the simple reason that it's unfair.
You completly missed my point. I was not arguing that the royal wedding generated alot of income, I was saying that the amount of attention the wedding itself got, shows that people from other countries are extremly interested in the royal family. So i think it's pretty safe to say that a large part of tourism in the UK is at least related to the royal family if not a direct result. Why does the dutch royal family cost twice as mutch as the brits? alright maybee in the netherlands case it's better to just stop paying them. However in the UK's case the royal family is an assest that pays for itself and creates jobs in the tourism industry, it's not unfair because of these reasons.
Ah, you mean as in a kind of PR family? I get it. But I don't think it's that effective. It is just becomes part of a kind of stereotype view on the country most people have, while if you want to visit a country, you mostly think beyond the view you already have of that country. You'd visit the country for for example the hills in the north, instead of for it's stereotypical culture. My point is: On the short term it will influence the view people have on your country, but the reasons to visit a country go deeper than just that view. That's more a matter of physical reasons, like environment and such. I was also very surprised when I read this, but it's the sad truth. But I'm still not sure if it creates jobs. I mean, like I said above, it's not just a matter of connotation people have with a country, but more a matter of physical reasons. And even if it'd be true, that still doesn't refute the fact that it's simply unfair to 'normal' people. Why would I not get a 120 million euro's yearly instead of them? That's about six times as much money as Will Smith (who is far better known) made in 2010 (source). (Will Smith made 21 million euro's ($29 million).)
Yesterday in De Wereld Draait Door: http://www.dumpert.nl/mediabase/2016461/5cd0573a/rutgert_en_de_backstabbers_bij_dwdd.html Rutger Castricum is funny, but he's so fucking arrogant...
"And finally we'll hoax Job Cohen as our daily ritual!" "Good morning, my name is Dominique. Just 'cause it's possible." "And now I'll insult Job Cohen. Job Cohen is a dick." How appropriate, and accurate too.
