The world's worst: Britons are the tourists that give hoteliers nightmares

If you think the world's worst tourists are loud-mouthed Americans or Germans who grab all the sunloungers, think again.

The travellers that hoteliers everywhere say are a real nightmare are the British.

We are notorious for drunken behaviour, general rudeness and not being able to speak a word of the local dialect.

British holidaymakers in Faliraki

British holidaymakers in Faliraki have become notorious for their drunkenness and yobbish behaviour

The damning verdict comes from a survey of European hotel chains by the travel company Expedia. Not only were Britons regarded as "rude", "messy" and "loud", they were also criticised for eating nearly as much as the Americans.

By contrast, the Japanese, American and German tourists were the best behaved visitors.

The survey of more than 4,000 hoteliers found that the British were still one of the worst at speaking the local language, although things have improved - we no longer just speak louder and more slowly to make ourselves understood.

On a brighter note, we have finally ditched the "'socks and sandals' image that has dogged us for so many years. We were voted the best-dressed tourists in the survey, beating the stylish French.

Something that might threaten that placing in future is the news that Britons were ranked second behind the Americans in terms of how much they ate.

In spite of their shortcomings, Britons are often liked by hoteliers because they spend lots of money. We were second only to the Americans in this category.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Americans were voted the loudest on holiday, followed by the Italians and the British, with the Japanese and Germans being the quietest.

The Americans were also voted the least polite, with the Japanese the most polite. The behaviour of French, Chinese, Mexican and Russian tourists was also sharply criticised, with hoteliers saying they were loud, obnoxious and unfriendly.

The Germans were praised for their tidiness and the fact that they usually leave their bedrooms spotless before the chambermaid arrives.

Britons are the worst behaved tourists according to a survey of European hotels


Alison Cooper, of said: 'It's clear we've still got a way to go to shed our hell-raising image while abroad, although a lot of this could be put down to blissful ignorance of local cultures.

'For anyone travelling this summer it is worth checking with the local tourist office to find out what is appropriate to each local culture and what the big no-nos are in terms of local etiquette.

'However, it's encouraging to see we're winning in the popularity stakes in other key criteria such as trying out local foods, generosity and style.'

A few months ago the Foreign Office warned that growing numbers of over-50s were making a nuisance of themselves while on holiday abroad.

A series of surveys found that this older generation, nicknamed Saga Louts, was overindulging in food and drink and being abusive to locals.

The research also found that many were putting their safety at risk by drinking too much and then participating in dangerous sports such as water skiing or riding a moped.

Many resorts have cracked down on the behaviour of British tourists and there have been growing numbers of arrests. Faliraki on the Greek island of Rhodes even set up its own police station to deal with the loutish behaviour of British tourists.

Hoteliers says Brits are the world's WORST tourists