Forget the “Ugly Americans.” It’s the French who are the world’s worst tourists.
They’re bad at foreign languages, tight-fisted and arrogant, according to a survey of 4,500 hotel owners.
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.
One explanation is that the French tend to stay at home and don’t go abroad often.
"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," said Mr de Roux.
French tourists are also accused of generally spending less than other nationalities when abroad.
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.
The Japanese ranked on top of the “Best Tourist” survey, with the British and the Germans judged the best of the Europeans.
The one category where the French excelled was coming in third behind the Italians and the British for their dress sense during holidays.
Report by David Wilkening
