surly

Research by online travel service Expedia suggests Brits abroad are the least well-regarded by foreigners.

They are the rudest, meanest, worst-behaved, most linguistically incompetent and least adventurous holidaymakers, the study published on Friday claims.

And overall, the British finished bottom of the league table of 24 nations, which was topped by the Germans, Americans and Japanese.

British consequently are guilty of terrible cultural and linguistic arrogance.

Seems to fly in the face of BE popular belief, and explain a lot of expat attitude.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/2137729.stm

Officer Dibble

More fascist propoganda.

A lot of nations are shocked and stunned when they discover that the average Brit isnt the tea drinking, dandy that Jane Austen described.

Who cares what bloody, thick foreigners think?

YoungSteve17

We are the greatest

scrubbedexpat097

..at doing the Conga at 2am


I think that is quite shameful. Why do people feel the need to act so crazy. It's good to let off steam and relax when you holiday somewhere but why the sudden "personality" change that often occurs?


This is someone that went to Ibiza long before it was the party island it now is. The first time we went only half the Island had hotels and they were few and far between

Okachickima

If you don't like the results of that "study" just Google and you will find another (and a more recent one) from the BBC that badmouths the French and says the British are the second best tourists in the world.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8143780.stm

French tourists are the worst in the world, coming across as penny-pinching, rude and terrible at languages, according to a new survey.

Jerseygirl

That article must have made your day.

made of kent

easy to generalise, I remember years ago in Normandy during the D day celebrations, meeting 2 lovely polite American, who where desparetly trying to get rooms in a small B and B the owner spoke no English and their french was worse than mine (I learnt German) but they where trying as he and his wife where, my hubby Scotish dragged out his best school boy french to help them all and I was very good at miming upshot was there wher 2 rooms avaliable 1 twin 1 double, they snapped them up like a shot! they then issisted on buying us a drink for our help and asked what we where doing in this hole in the wall place, explained we had been told it was the only place in town with available rooms by the tourist office!!
the men immediatly said we should have the double room and they could share the twin, they where cousins, so much bad french and gesticulation later, we had a room, we ate out with these 2 lovely interesting men who where both ex army, one who had been at d day the other much younger, his father had, we went back to the B&B and the owner and his wife served us for a while until eventually they joined us, and dispite the language difficulties we had an excellent night, fueled lots of alcohol!

Bob

Least they get out and about a bit...

And it's all rubbish really, loads of tourists of all nations are a bit shit when you go looking at packaged tour events.

When you go else where, you don't notice them except for their cameras and white/black socks with sandles

Macca67

I think you mean ENGLISH Tourists.

TimberHut

<some foreign speak from the barman>

You what mate? I want TWO PINTS OF STELLA. TWO BEERS. TWO LARGE-O BEER-O.

elfman

I think that the fact that you felt the need to start a whole thread about this based on an article from seven years ago explains quite a lot about your attitude.

here's a similar article from two weeks ago:

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.

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 cliches 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.

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/afp/2009071...b-509a08e.html

celticgrid

First thought...."Expedia is 7 years old already???"

Second thought...."This 21st century larkey seems to be moving a lot faster than the previous one."

Captain Freedom

Well at least English tourist will never be accused of being the most ass kissing tourist.

Kaffy Mintcake

Not to put down my countrymen, but I wonder if a lot of this is just Americans tipping as they would at home, which would be considered very generous in many countries where a tip isn't customary, or one just rounds up.

That being said, I've always been very conscious of the ugly American stereotype, and if Americans are getting credit for trying other languages, etc. when overseas I think that's pretty cool.

cindyabs

I think a lot of the stupid behavior is motivated by ithe idea that if you make a fool of yourself it's okay because none of those people are going to ever see you again.