The world’s worst tourists

Monday, 19 March 2012 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

People often complain about the American abroad - and now it appears Americans themselves share those sentiments.

An online survey of five countries found that Americans voted themselves as the world’s worst tourists.

In the LivingSocial survey of 5,600 people, 20 per cent of Americans said their own countrymen were the worst when travelling abroad, followed by Chinese (15 per cent) and French (14 per cent).

Canadians and Australians agreed that Americans were the worst tourists, while the Irish respondents voted for the English as the world’s worst. The English respondents plumped for German tourists.

Travel guidebook writer Michael Brein told MSNBC that Americans may not be the world’s worst tourists - “just more forthright about their flaws.”

“We [Americans] tend to see being frank, open, honest – spilling our guts – more of a virtue than others may see it,” he said.

“We’re a huge nation with all kinds of people travelling. I have met many kinds of Americans who do not fit that [ugly American] stereotype at all.”