For Tivoli Gardens chief, euro would be an attraction

Tivoli has been a tourist destination for the last 160 years

By Robin Oakley
CNN.com European Political Editor

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (CNN) -- For nearly 160 years, tourists have come from all over the world to enjoy themselves at Copenhagen's Tivoli Gardens.

If Denmark votes to join the euro, future tourists would be able to pay for Tivoli's attractions in the same currency they would use across most of Europe.

Tivoli's chief executive, Lars Liebst, is among those who want a "yes" vote. The euro, he says, is a natural development of the European Union.

"From an economic point of view, maybe (it's) not that important. But from another point of view, the impact on 'what is Denmark and what isn't Denmark' … if we are a member of a club, I think we should go ahead and be a member of a club," says Liebst.

VIDEO CNN's Robin Oakley looks at the options that lie ahead for Tivoli Play video (QuickTime or Windows Media) Danish Foreign Minister Niels Helveg Petersen discusses the importance of the vote to his nation Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)

Tourist industry chiefs say the euro would foster economic stability and offer savings to travellers.

"Imagine for instance you were to visit all 15 member countries in the European Union, and you had to change your currency each time. After such a trip you would only have half of your original funds left back," says Lars Jorgensen, managing director for the tourist organisation Wonderful Copenhagen.

Voters, though, aren't so convinced that Denmark should join the euro. Among the Danes enjoying themselves in the Tivoli Gardens recently, there were plenty of political worries about joining the euro. But few people made an economic case against doing so.

"I think it will influence on our pensions," says one person. Adds another: "I like to be only Denmark, Denmark for Denmark."

It's an intriguing split: Business is issuing an overwhelming call for a "yes" vote. But it's not the economics of the euro that bothers most people -- it's more the worry that being Danish would count for less in a more integrated European Union.

The referendum result will turn on whether voters heed those instincts, or whether they listen to the voice of business and vote for safety first.

Tivoli Gardens

Wonderful Copenhagen

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