In the third series they built a poor-quality, movie-themed animatronic wax museum from mannequins and charged tourists for entry, as well as competing as street mimes in Covent Garden Market.

The next step would be to find a 200,000-acre ranch in the Southwest that saw an economic opportunity in working with scientists to recreate a Pleistocene ecosystem and then charging tourists to come and gawk.

"They'll charge tourists and recoup their money, never fear," he replied.

It was the kind of place that could charge tourists for visits.

Airlines are also required to charge tourists in hard currency, either in cash US dollars, travellers cheques or credit cards, and this rule is generally followed.

"Thirty years ago, the caretaker here used to charge tourists about 5 cents to look at the Count's blood," Mr. Linder said.

So with the country needing hard currency, and fabulous art and castles, not to mention beer, on offer, charging tourists more seemed a pragmatic economic policy.

The fees for touring the Wockermann house, for instance, would go into the committee coffers, along with what they charged tourists to go down to Boone Creek.

State agencies that deal with foreigners have fattened the prices that they charge tourists, journalists, diplomats and businessmen in a voracious quest for foreign currency.

Test your tree-climbing skills before setting out, as rhinos have been known to occasionally charge tourists.