10 June 2008

Nature of American tourists: good, bad and ugly

American tourists came in at number 11 overall when Expedia released findings of a global survey of the worldââ¬â¢s best and worst tourists.

ââ¬ÅâœThe Japanese won top prize and are considered by hoteliers across the globe as overall the best tourists.  German and British tourists tied for second place, followed by the Canadians and Swiss,ââ¬~ the company says.

Americans did lead the way with putting their efforts into learning a few key sayings in the local language and sampling local delicacies.

ââ¬ÅâœThe French, Chinese and Japanese were the least likely to incorporate the local language, and the Chinese, Indians and Japanese have the least interest in the culinary styles of the places they visit,ââ¬~ the survey found.

Americans are also considered the most generous, the survey says, followed by the Canadians and Russians.

In contrast to American generosity and willingness to absorb local culture, they are considered to be noisy tourists, along with the Italians and British. 

Additionally, Americans are said to be most likely to complain about accommodations, along with the Germans and French -- and are also among the least tidy hotel guests.

ââ¬ÅâœAmericans fall to the bottom of the list when it comes to fashion sense, with the ever stylish Italians and French taking top sartorial prize,ââ¬~ reported the study.

The survey reflected the opinions of more than 4,000 hoteliers worldwide on the best overall travelers, as well as ten specific categories grading popularity, behavior, manners, willingness to learn the language and try local cuisine, generosity, tidiness, volume, fashion sense and propensity to complain

"Hoteliers are the experts when it comes to interacting with tourists, so as the busy summer travel season approaches and vacationers prepare for their own travel experiences, we thought it would be fun to present some of their common perceptions regarding tourists from all around the world," said Karyn Thale, travel expert, Expedia.comÃ~®. 

by David Wilkening

• PRINT
• SEND TO A FRIEND
• SHARE

Post your comment

Your Comments (2)

, be the first to post a comment.
Your email:

Your comment title:


Your comment:

Email other comments made to this story

5 characters

• Americans Travel Disguised as Canadians
  
  

  Unfortunately many American travellers try to pass of as Canadians when they travel, for various reasons. As these fake Canadians usually choose to be from larger Canadian cities such as Toronto, Montreal or Vancouver it is fairly easy for real Canadians to sniff them out by speech pattern (use of the expression 'eh?') or by asking which subway station they live near. Seems a shame that citizens have to go incognito because of actions by their government.

  By Jon Hewson, Thursday, June 12, 2008
• Saving my tips
  
  

  Since it is more important to these esteemed hotelliers that I dress fashionably than tip generously, I'll start using that tip money on a new wardrobe.

  By Wes Schellenbaum, Wednesday, June 11, 2008