And the "worst" tourists in the world are:

[Papa Deuce]

surpisingly not Americans, according to expedia.com surveys... instead, it is:

PARIS (Reuters Life!) – French tourists are the worst in the world, coming across as bad at foreign languages, tight-fisted and arrogant, according to a survey of 4,500 hotel owners across the world.

They finish in last place in the survey carried out for internet travel agency Expedia by polling company TNS Infratest, which said French holidaymakers don't speak local languages and are seen as impolite.

"It's mainly the fact that they speak little or no English when they're abroad, and they don't speak much of the local language," Expedia Marketing Director Timothee de Roux told radio station France Info.

"The French don't go abroad very much. We're lucky enough to have a country which is magnificent in terms of its landscape and culture," he said, adding that 90 per cent of French people did their traveling at home.

"So when they're on holiday they can be a bit stressed, they're not used to things, and this can lead them to be demanding in a way which could be seen as a certain arrogance."

French tourists are also accused of generally spending less than other nationalities when abroad.

De Roux said the French, not accustomed to leaving large tips at home where a service charge is automatically levied on restaurant bills, can seem "tight-fisted" compared with other nationalities.

 

[imabrat]

Doesn't surprise me. Before I even opened the article up, I said "French", and I was right.

Then again I'm Spanish so it's almost a rite of passage for me to have a "hate" against the French.

 

[mom2rb]

For some reason, this makes me happy.



How come we always here about the "rude Americans"?

 

[Papa Deuce]

For some reason, this makes me happy.



How come we always here about the "rude Americans"?

Certainly I can only speak for myself and my family, but we go out of our way to be extra nice when in another country. And we always have been treated very well, except for the time we went to Quebec.

 

[Eeyore'sthebest]

I work for a French firm. About 90% are expats from France. This survey doesn't surprise me a bit.

However, they all speak English (in my office) so that's a positive.

 

[DisneyBlonde]

Oh. The French dissing the Americans. That almost never happens.

 

[redrosesix]

Certainly I can only speak for myself and my family, but we go out of our way to be extra nice when in another country. And we always have been treated very well, except for the time we went to Quebec.

But Quebec is part of Canada, for the time being anyway. I thought the survey was talking about people from France.

You obviously don't speak French fluently. They have a problem with people who don't there, especially English-speaking Canadians. But in Montreal, if you even try a little, you get a whole different attitude from most people (especially in Verdun)

I have to admit I've never met a tourist from France (I guess they don't get out of their country very often), so I don't have an opinion on the survey.

 

[merryweather20]

Certainly I can only speak for myself and my family, but we go out of our way to be extra nice when in another country. And we always have been treated very well, except for the time we went to Quebec.

They were treating you poorly because they thought you were an anglophone Canadian.

Next time start your conversation with Bonjour, Je m'appelle Papa Deuce, je viens de Philadelphia. They will like you just fine

I was shocked to hear the thing about the languages in the articles. Statistically speaking French people are the most likely to be bi-or multi-lingual . I almost wonder if its more a case of the tourist areas having learned English for Brits and Aussies who are HUGE on travel, plus Americans and Canadians who speak English as well.

 

[SCHBR'smom]

A friend of mine knows French, but she's not real comfortable speaking it. She was on a scenic train ride with her husband and his family. A French couple were sitting behind them. She listened to the conversation the couple was having (in French, of course) and was shocked about all the complaining about everything including the people sitting around them. The wife tried to stop the husband, but he continued because it's not like any of the Americans around them could understand anyways. My friend said she turned and gave him a dirty look, but never said anything.

 

[Handbag Lady]

Doesn't surprise me. Before I even opened the article up, I said "French", and I was right.

Then again I'm Spanish so it's almost a rite of passage for me to have a "hate" against the French.

I'm an American and I feel the same way.

I took French class for two years before I went to France. I tried to converse and the looks, the attitude, and being spit at for simply being an American didn't sit well from me.

Still, I tried to believe that since I was just in Paris, things must be different. Then, I had to work with a Frenchman. He was the most arrogant person! He was from the Provance area. But, that's like one guy out of all of France.

So, we have the one guy I worked with, plus ever French person I came into contact with in Paris, plus the French guy who spat at me for wanting to buy one of his wares.

Then a friend married a French guy. Yep, same thing. It is almost like an entitlement thing.

So, I'm open to still meeting French people who may be nice, but so far, the track record isn't that great.

 

[Papa Deuce]

But Quebec is part of Canada, for the time being anyway. I thought the survey was talking about people from France.

You obviously don't speak French fluently. They have a problem with people who don't there, especially English-speaking Canadians. But in Montreal, if you even try a little, you get a whole different attitude from most people (especially in Verdun)

I have to admit I've never met a tourist from France (I guess they don't get out of their country very often), so I don't have an opinion on the survey.

I know Quebec is part of Canada ... I am just saying that I was treated nicely every place I have ever been to except Quebec, which is primarily a French area, correct?

I don't speak Spanish, but I have been treated well in Puerto Rico, Belize ( though most speak English there ) Mexico, and other Spanish speaking countries.

 

[Claire L]

Although I only live about 30 miles from France it is not a country I visit often, much prefering the friendliness of countries such as the US and Spain. Having said that a good friend of DH has a French girlfriend and she is very nice, but has lived in the UK for over ten years now.

Claire

 

[imabrat]

They were treating you poorly because they thought you were an anglophone Canadian.

Next time start your conversation with Bonjour, Je m'appelle Papa Deuce, je viens de Philadelphia. They will like you just fine

I was shocked to hear the thing about the languages in the articles. Statistically speaking French people are the most likely to be bi-or multi-lingual . I almost wonder if its more a case of the tourist areas having learned English for Brits and Aussies who are HUGE on travel, plus Americans and Canadians who speak English as well.

We all have different experiences. Last August I was in Universal Studios, I ended up with heat stroke and went to first aid. There was a French family in there, apparently one of the sons had gotten injured. NO ONE in the family spoke English, the farthest they got was "I, mother". I was shocked at how little English they spoke, especially since they were on holiday in the US. They also looked very angry. They didn't seem upset, but they all wore scowls.

I'm an American and I feel the same way.

I took French class for two years before I went to France. I tried to converse and the looks, the attitude, and being spit at for simply being an American didn't sit well from me.

Still, I tried to believe that since I was just in Paris, things must be different. Then, I had to work with a Frenchman. He was the most arrogant person! He was from the Provance area. But, that's like one guy out of all of France.

So, we have the one guy I worked with, plus ever French person I came into contact with in Paris, plus the French guy who spat at me for wanting to buy one of his wares.

Then a friend married a French guy. Yep, same thing. It is almost like an entitlement thing.

So, I'm open to still meeting French people who may be nice, but so far, the track record isn't that great.

Same here. I'm sure there are great, kind French people. But from what I have experienced, and what my family has experienced, I don't like them very much. I don't like their food or the way they play soccer either.

 

[NotUrsula]

The company that I worked for for 10 years had branch offices in both Paris and Montreal. My coworkers there were all very cordial people, I never got any attitude vibes from any of them. Of course, I grew up in South Louisiana, which is one of the few places in the US outside of NYC that gets a lot of French tourists. I waited tables in tourist restaurants, so I got used to their ways.

Weirdest vibe? On our honeymoon, in Montreal, we ate at one restaurant that wrote their menu prices only in French Francs (this was pre-Euro.) In a country where Francs are NOT the currency, that was a bit precious.

 

[redrosesix]

The company that I worked for for 10 years had branch offices in both Paris and Montreal. My coworkers there were all very cordial people, I never got any attitude vibes from any of them. Of course, I grew up in South Louisiana, which is one of the few places in the US outside of NYC that gets a lot of French tourists. I waited tables in tourist restaurants, so I got used to their ways.

Weirdest vibe? On our honeymoon, in Montreal, we ate at one restaurant that wrote their menu prices only in French Francs (this was pre-Euro.) In a country where Francs are NOT the currency, that was a bit precious.

I guess that was just wishful thinking on their part. Many people in Quebec just hate the rest of Canada, and just love France. But aren't in the majority -- yet.

 

[pogo791]

And in case you were wondering who the "best" and the "worst" were in general out of the 27 nationalities covered in the poll:

The best were the Japanese, followed (in order) by the British, the Canadians, the Germans, the Swiss and the Australians. Americans came in eighth best. (Americans were commended for being good tippers and for their willingness to order the pizza or paella in the local lingo, but lost points for being the least tidy, the worst complainers, and the worst dressed.)

The overall worst, after the French, were the Spaniards and the Greeks. (One of the few saving graces of the French was their "fashion sense".) A year ago, the Chinese and the Indians were in last place; the French were "only" third worst.

By the way, for anyone who has experience with loud British behavior on the Costa del Sol, or with German pushiness when it comes to hogging the deck chairs, the results may seem odd. However, the survey polled hoteliers (and not, for example, fellow tourists), and so what counted most were general attitude, politeness, tendency to complain, willingness to speak the local language, willingness to sample local cuisine, readiness to spend money, generosity with tips, cleanliness, discretion and elegance. The Germans, for example, were rated the biggest tippers after the Americans and the British. And the British - surprise, surprise - came in second in respect of their fashion sense. And most Brits do tend to be quiet and polite; it is just that the odd lager lout spilling his beer in your lap tends to give the entire British contingent a bad rep.

See for example http://www.business-standard.com/in...ed-world\s-best-tourists-by-hoteliers/363427/

 

[Disneyadore]

Just a little reminder.
You could earn points for name calling or judging people from other countries.


Remember there are millions of people living in a country and judging them on a hear say or meeting one or three is ridiculous.

What would you say if the whole world thought that all Americans were like Paris Hilton?

 

[Briarmom]

"It's mainly the fact that they speak little or no English when they're abroad, and they don't speak much of the local language," Expedia Marketing Director Timothee de Roux told radio station France Info.

Because Americans are so much more likely to speak the local language? Please.

I've been to France numerous times, and never had a problem.

 

[Acklander]

I guess I'd be considered a bad tourist since I can't speak anything except English. Languages have never been my strong point.

 

[XTinabell]

I'm an American and I feel the same way.

I took French class for two years before I went to France. I tried to converse and the looks, the attitude, and being spit at for simply being an American didn't sit well from me.

Still, I tried to believe that since I was just in Paris, things must be different. Then, I had to work with a Frenchman. He was the most arrogant person! He was from the Provance area. But, that's like one guy out of all of France.

So, we have the one guy I worked with, plus ever French person I came into contact with in Paris, plus the French guy who spat at me for wanting to buy one of his wares.

Then a friend married a French guy. Yep, same thing. It is almost like an entitlement thing.

So, I'm open to still meeting French people who may be nice, but so far, the track record isn't that great.

I'm Canadian and in Paris people were rude to everyone. My friend spoke french but they just laughed at her when she spoke because she did struggle a little bit. My second time in Paris we met a very nice french guy who helped us travel the underground and he explained that Paris is his favourite place in the world but the people are rude and that's just the way they are. So even they know they're rude.

I guess I'd be considered a bad tourist since I can't speak anything except English. Languages have never been my strong point.

Fortunately most places know English as a second language so it's easier for us to travel. However in Paris they do pretend they don't speak English until they want a tip.