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French tourists voted worst in the world
OUCH - If you are French, I recommend that you stop reading now, as this is bound to hurt.The French have been voted worst tourists in the world, in a survey of 40,000 tourists. The results paint a pretty bleak picture of the French, calling them "penny-pinching, rude, pushy and terrible at foreign languages".
I'll leave my own opinion of the French out of this, as the survey seems to reach the same opinion I've often come to.
The survey was carried out by research firm TNS Infratest on behalf of Expedia, and asked hotels to rank their guests in 9 different criteria.
Joining the French at the bottom of the list are Spanish and Greek tourists. The best tourists come from Japan, followed by the Candians. US tourists got high marks for their generosity when it comes to tipping, most likely the result of the insane tipping etiquette in their own country.
The results are very much in line with the same research done last year, which obviously means the French don't care too much about their bad reputation.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
me Jul 11th 2009 8:39PM
Finnally those pompous a==holes are called out for what they are. They are sooooooooo rude to everyone that comes to thier country and even worse here in ours!. God Bless America!
eddy Jul 11th 2009 8:42PM
I tend to tip large and expect others to do the same. We Americans have to set the bar high.
Anja Jul 11th 2009 9:36PM
I've been to France many times and have always enjoyed the scenery, food and the people. Even Paris gets better with every trip and I have found the Parisians to be helpful and polite. I don't act like a typical American, British or German tourist by talking too loud and dressing like a clod, (baggy t-shirts with dumb sayings on them, huge white sneakers and dirty blue jeans). It seems as though alot of Americans feel so threatened by the French that they over-react and come across as arrogant and smug. I have been in pretty many countries, (sometimes as a solo female, sometimes with companions) and if I try to remember my most negative experience as a traveler, it was actually in Philadelphia at the airport where I encountered the rudest, most unprofessional and sloppiest-looking people of all.
I have always tried to represent the US in a positive way when I am in a foreign land and have found that good manners and just using a few basic native language phrases has always been appreciated.
Just because one is American doesn't mean that you can criticize other countries, but when someone criticizes the US, (fairly or unfairly), it's OK to insult them and to act superior.
Erika Jul 12th 2009 1:01AM
I enjoyed your comment and you are right about so many things!
The airport in Atlanta (Hartfield-Jackson) is a place where I encountered a lot of rudeness and lazy service.
But the French know how to live in so many ways that we have a lot of French friends and have adopted some French habits at home, esp. cooking. My husband is fluent in French too and reads French books.
It's too bad they are considered the worst tourists, because they have a lot to offer.
Caroline Jul 12th 2009 5:54AM
Did you happen to notice that in the article they were talking about the French as tourists--not hosts, and that the survey was taken worldwide, not in the US?
grayeagle Jul 11th 2009 10:00PM
I travel in Asia a lot. I always try not to stand out but I make sure I dress well and try to be polite (not always easy) but in so doing I have been treated well and with respect. I am just one person but I am proud to be an American. What I do and how I look reflects on my country.
I have noticed the French tourist men and women stand out above all others in the way they act (demanding) and in their dress which is sloppy and looks dirty. The Asians call them (Tabalo) loosely translated to homeless people.
I have seen people of other countrys acting and dressing the same as the French including Americans but not nearly as many.
Maddog Jul 11th 2009 10:07PM
I've never been treated rudely in Paris. Every time in The Bahamas, especially Nassau. Maybe it's just the people you happen to meet. I have found in general that if you're polite, people will reciprocate.
shai Jul 11th 2009 10:13PM
I have traveled the world and found the French to be the rudest people I have ever had the displeasure of coming across.
Despite what Anja was babbling about, I have seen few American tourists dressing like 'clods' but I did come across MANY French people with serious cases of body odor. They look down on us for being tourists but they smelled like they hadnt showered in six months. I did not feel threatened by them...I was just sickened by their attitude and body odor.
I totally agree with the results and Im happy its finally coming to light.
marknew91 Jul 11th 2009 10:38PM
Shocking...
Lang Jul 11th 2009 10:44PM
The French have always been pompus A$$es. Their country sides are filled hundreds of thousands of our fallin soldiers who fought to liberate them from the Nazis, yet they thumb their noses at us as though they are superior to our people.
The Department Store Chain "Target" is a French held company.
Boycott...Boycott.
sydney Jul 11th 2009 10:58PM
Lang. You should know that Target is an American company, based in Minnesota. Young people started jokingly referring to the discount merchant as "Tarjay" more than 20 years ago (when I was in college) because it made it sound like an upscale, fancy store. It is just the fun, fake "French" pronounciation of "Target." Look it up. I have been to France several times and, although the people's attitudes there seem to be slowly improving slightly over time, during my most recent visit a few years ago, the hotel clerk at this little place I was staying in Paris near the Bastille was definitely snarky and rude...who knows why...I was certainly friendly to him.
minnesotan Jul 12th 2009 3:42AM
Target is based in the Twin Cities. It's an American company. Do your research before you say "boycott." Thousands of Americans work for that great company. Much better customer service than wal-crap.
roberto Jul 11th 2009 11:00PM
I've been in france numerous times and i always found myself confortable with no problem whatsoever. A few times i was in trouble they have been very helpful. It's true, though, that french are quite cheap and do not like soap at all. However i found there is a big difference between girls and guys. Girls in general are very polite and clean...... i cannot say the same about the guys....specially on the clean side
Erika Jul 12th 2009 1:15AM
The French perfected the art of perfume... I guess this is why
LilRdVet2 Jul 12th 2009 7:15AM
All you had to do was ask the waitresses and bartenders who was the worst! The French are not only rude, but lousy tippers! And Roberto? There is a difference you being the tourist and they. They were always rude! My son went to France and said he couldn't wait to get out of Paris. He said the food was good but the people were awful! (and it smelled really bad!)
DJ Jul 11th 2009 11:45PM
You think they're bad tourists??? Try visiting France and see how they are as HOSTS.
MAlleNrOhSLVR Jul 11th 2009 11:56PM
I have to agree w/this. . . I've traveled extensively and while I've
never been to France I've had the displeasure of encountering
numerous french people in the states and most recently on a trip to
London and they made the group of 20-something college kids I was
traveling with look like angels.
On a day outing to Bath we encountered a group of french grade school
kids, they were rude, obnoxious and pushy and at one point, in a very
narrow corridor a fight between two of the boys broke out and I got
caught in the middle of it and took the brunt of both of their blows
just trying to keep my footing and not fall into the algae-infected
water lining both sides of this narrow passage way.
I have never been so outraged by the behavior of ANYONE in public and
the fact that their teacher and chaperones seemed quite content to
just let them duke it out, if me or any of my classmates had acted
like that, our teacher (and we're all 20-somethings) would've had us
on the 1st plane back to the states.
On another outing to the British Museum I encountered yet another
group of french school children and couldn't believe how
disrespectful they were, climbing all over the stairs and railings,
swarming the artifacts. . . and their teacher was encouraging it!!! I
witnessed their teacher help a group up over the rope and into a 3000
y/o sarcophagus so she could take a group picture.
As someone who grew up in a small town where disobedience was frowned
upon and discipline strictly enforced I still hold doors open for
strangers and say please and thank you and growing up in that
environment, I was personally mortified at their behavior and as
someone who is studying for a BFA and hopes to get an MFA in
conservation and preservation and who values the importance of
history and artifacts, I was indignant at their total disregard for
the delicate nature of such artifacts and the lack of discipline
exhibited by their teacher and the other accompanying caperones.
emg Jul 12th 2009 12:13AM
I couldn't disagree more with this article! If anyone can speak on this topic with first hand experience, it is definitely ME. Over the past six years I have travelled to France more than a dozen times completely alone ..as a single American traveller who does not speak French and did not know anyone in France. NOT ONCE did I have any encounter with anyone who was rude or impolite in any way! The French people continue to amaze me and humble me with their warmth, kindness, and generosity. I travel a lot, and I never met a more charming and welcoming people than the French. It is a safe, clean, beautiful country where people make you feel like you never want to leave.
VLC Jul 12th 2009 1:42AM
I have been to PARIS many times - many times! I and can say with a fact: "the French ARE rude!" It is a part of the French DNA - they can't help it. I look upon it now as the "French Charm" or funk... I am an American, born and bred, and I thought we had the "bad tourist" thing on lock-down until I encountered the French. However, we still come in a close 2nd - Not because we are rude but because we are loud and obnoxious! We travel aboard and always act like every place we visit is a U.S. property and demand to know where is the nearest WAL-MART! We dress like slobs - in our best yard clothes! Ours teens seem to never wear anything buy cut-off shorts and flip-flops and the adults are ALL wearing white ankle-soaks, big white sneakers and fanny-packs! And there is one other way you can pick out the Americans aboard, WE ARE THE LARGEST ON THE SIDEWALKS - the Overweight Nation goes to Europe. So, before we point too many fingers at the French, I think we should look in our OWN backyards - I too live in a "glass house" - drop the stones people...
Jennifer Jul 12th 2009 1:05AM
Wow, I had no idea that how much a person weighs or that wearing sneakers (usually people traveling abroad are walking a lot and sneakers help decrease the likelihood of blisters) was considered rude. I though rude was a behavior. Apparently now I have to look a certain way in order to not be rude.