Even the self-proclaimed foreign relations experts and the paranoid KGB can’t get it right. Little do they know that the British have the worst reputation abroad.
Yes, the British are the worst tourists! Americans come in 2nd place for being THE BEST TOURISTS. 
Who wuda thunk it?
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.
Categories included behaviour, politeness, willingness to learn the language, trying local delicacies and spending on the local economy.
And overall, the British finished bottom of the league table of 24 nations, which was topped by the Germans, Americans and Japanese.
[Snip!]
And (drumroll) interestingly enough, ………..
Americans were judged the most courteous and the British the rudest, alongside the Russians and Canadians.
The Brits also seemed to make least effort in speaking the local language, a quality excelled by the Germans, French and Americans.
Feel free to read the rest of the article here.
Another source says that the French are the most obnoxious tourists.
Naturally, everyone’s going to encounter different experiences abroad. It’s a matter of luck. It’s a matter of how YOU behave. And it’s a matter of whether or not you’ll encounter the 40% (my conspiracy) of snobby cultural elitists that will interrogate you in the streets, violently attack you, point you in the wrong direction when you get lost, discriminate against you, overcharge you, and make your vacation miserable.
The funny thing to look at here is the fact that it is only Americans and Jews that are expected to act like the locals abroad. AND! It is only Americans that are expected to act like the locals abroad even on their own turf! However, Australians, hypothetically speaking, no matter how loud, rude or obnoxious they are will get a FREE PASS.
That’s very telling. Don’t you think?
Even more interesting, in Europe, having a travel guide is one of the many reasons Americans are considered, “stupid”. This is part of the cultural differences between Europeans and Americans. Americans aren’t ashamed at all to admit or show that they don’t know something – whereas Europeans are too embarrassed to look like “they don’t know” and hide it. This isn’t about stupidity at all. It’s about being humble and honest. And in this regard, people who ask for help or learn tips from books, are the ones that I’d like to call intelligent due to their curiosity and ability to ask questions which, in turn, causes one to LEARN. Read the blog entry and the comments in this post to see where I’m coming from. Here’s a sneak preview:
So, let me get this straight (addressing this entire blog post), if tour guides, tour groups, travel guides, and maps define what an American is, then why are there so many tour buses and tour guides in the United States? Why are travel books and guides sold in other countries and in the US to cater to YOU PEOPLE coming from your neck of the woods to America? Why do I continue to find Asians running around everywhere with cameras and travel books?
And wait a minute! I thought that Americans didn’t travel. 
It’s odd for me to see in every Americanophobic blog the following:
- Americans don’t have passports
- Stupid American tourists
You know, we’re damned no matter what we do! And this is what Americanophobia is all about. In my opinion, it’s very similar to the Nazi propaganda during and before WWII. If you are old enough to know anything about Nazi propaganda and are familiarized with Americanophobia, you will notice some significant similarities.
I would only expect that self-proclaimed internationalists would understand that a different country’s people would mean a different culture. We’re not all going to like, get used to, or be able to understand everyone’s unique culture and/or sub-cultures within. There are some things about Japanese customs that I don’t like. So what? I’m not going to create an entire blog devoted to how much I hate Japanese culture. I’m not going to obsess about how I think that Japanese are this or that all day and go out of my way to find them in the streets so that I can taunt them and write more about them in my blog so that I can feel better about my esteem-deficient being.
It’s human nature to fall victim to culture shock. We are all unique despite the fact that we all cry the same tears and bleed the same blood. People who are unable to appreciate the differences, more than likely, don’t even like themselves.
For more information as to how I feel about tourism and how to expect to be treated in certain areas abroad, you may want to read this before you pack your suitcases.
I just have to love things like those ratings…
Now, please understand. Everyone from all walks of life make mistakes from time to time. So, I am not picking on any particular group but;
Doing SAR in the deep Rockies can get pretty interesting at times. I went on one mission that involved Japanese tourist’s that had somehow gotten turned around in an area that should be called wilderness. We found them easy enough, and no one was injured or anything. Those people were so appreciative and polite that I almost felt embarrassed.
Two weeks later in roughly the same area. Some folks from Spain did nearly the same thing. We found them, cold, thirsty, and hungry. But generally in pretty good shape. That was a very different experience though. All they could do was complain about how long it took to find them. Stupid American maps. Stupid American mountains. (?) Stupid American emergency rations, and so on.
Attitude can be everything…
Maybe this will explain why. They have the most favorable view of the US compared to any other country.
Not only that. I lived and worked there for 6.5 years, and I was treated a hell of a lot better over there than in my own country.
With that said, I have an unconditional respect and admiration for the Japanese. I’m not saying that they are perfect, but they are a classy bunch overall. The West could certainly learn a lot from them.
Interesting graph. I have a certain respect for the Japanese. Probably because of my studies of martial art but also simply because of the people. Seems as though I have found good and decent people all over the world, as well as many that I would prefer to never have met.
Also among my favorites, as general groups are the Hmong and Katashi tribesmen.
This is not surprising, but something makes me wonder that decades of being told we are the “ugly American” have helped sensitize American travelers, some of whom (um, some of us) try to make up for the real or perceived brutishness of our compatriots.
It depends on where you travel, though. In Amsterdam, the Brits are the most obnoxious. In Thailand, the Aussies. They are also the biggest tourist groups in those places, which probably explains the mob-like mentality.
A few years ago, I was visiting France with a friend. I don’t speak French, and I needed to see a doctor, so I found an English-speaking doctor. When I saw her, she said to me, “You’re visiting France and you don’t even speak French? Typical American!” I told her I spoke 4 languages and asked her where she traveled last. “Vietnam.” I asked her, “So I assume you speak Vietnamese, then?”
She didn’t answer and looked miffed.
BTW, I’m not saying all the French are like this – but I *will* stereotype Croatians, since the quoted blog post demonstrates a typical Croatian sentiment, and, as a half-Croat who has spent considerable time in the country and who speaks the language, I am pretty well-informed. *Croats have to be the most arrogant people on the planet*. I attribute it to the fact that they have always considered themselves as cultured as their Venetian and Austrian colonial masters, but have never managed to convince anyone else of this except maybe the Serbs. Now, they try to curry the favor of their Western neighbors again (maybe as a ploy to get EU membership), bashing Americans even though they don’t know any and the US was the only country to really help them during their bid for independence in the 90s. I love my family there, but can’t stand about 80% of the rest of the population.
(Forgive the off-topic rant)