FicWad

naturel," using a French saying as a fig leaf to cover up its more common
name of nudism.
The United States is a deeply conservative state and some inhibitions take
time to cast off, but Americans are beginning to flock to beaches and country
parks reserved for nudists, notably at the luxury end of the marketplace. "Folks
are looking for a more relaxed way to spend their vacation," according to
Carolyn Hawkins, public relations coordinator for the American Association for
Nude Recreation (AANR). "They find seeing a naturist resort, they could go
more and pack less." The AANR estimates that naturist clubs and beaches for
those who soak up the sun "au naturel" bring in about 500 million dollars a year
now, against 200 million dollars in 1992.
"The interest has been increasing over the last 10 years," said Carrie Schultz,
Advertising manager for the Caliente Resort, an upmarket nudist colony near Tampa
in southern Florida, which has about 300 flats, bungalows and houses that
cost between 200,000 and 500,000 dollars.
"People who bought here used to go to the Caribbean to find bare facilities.
Upscale nude resorts didn't exist in the US," said Shultz.