World’s worst tourists?

Posted by on July 10, 2009 at 1:58 pm in Other Stories, Travel & Tourism

 

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Penny-pinching, rude and terrible at foreign languages: French people are the world’s worst tourists according to a study of the global hotel industry released on Thursday.

Carried out last month by TNS Infratest, the study asked 40 000 hotels worldwide to rank tourists from 27 countries based on nine criteria, from their politeness to their willingness to tip.

Clean and tidy, polite, quiet and uncomplaining, Japanese tourists came top of the crop for the third year running.

At the other end of the spectrum, French holidaymakers and business travellers were the least generous or ready to tip, and ranked next-to-last for their overall behaviour and politeness.

Pushy French travellers made amends on elegance — classed third — as well as for their discretion and cleanliness.

But the French were the least ready to try a new language, unlike US tourists who were most likely to swallow their pride and order a pizza, baguette or a paella in the local lingo.

US tourists also got top marks for generosity — as the biggest spenders and tippers — but fell short on other counts as the least tidy, the loudest, the worst complainers, and the most badly dressed.

Despite clichés about beer-guzzling hordes descending on Mediterranean resorts each summer, Britons came a surprise second for their overall behaviour, politeness, quietness and even elegance — second for dress sense only to the Italians.

But the model Japanese were followed by Canadians as the least likely to whinge when a trip goes wrong.

France’s rivals for the "worst tourist" tag, Spaniards and Greeks came near the bottom of the pack in almost every category.

Who do you think are the world’s worst tourists? Post a comment below…

AFP

2 Responses to “World’s worst tourists?”

  1. sassol said:

    My experience since 1981 in the Hospitality industries,international five stars chain will says that Indian are the worst traveler. We still can managed rude, penny pinching and untidy people but not the cunning one. That wanted a ” Rajah ” service but will make you pay for the visit plus allowances. Even the limo service to the airport should be free or reimburse by writing a letter and copying the managers signature.Yet they always claimed they are American, Canadian etc. although their diction sounds otherwise.

    on July 14th, 2009 at 11:43 pm
  2. sassol said:

    American are the best, yes they easily blend with local and fun to be with, and don’t forget Australian. Japanese are too protocol, Middle Easterner have a suspicious look on you.

    on July 14th, 2009 at 11:48 pm

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