Turn on charm to lure tourists - Americans could help travel industry by being friendlier

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | 2/28/7 | David Armstrong

[pabianice]

Gee. Why would a potential tourist pass-up the opportunity to be accosted by a filthy, drunken bum urinating on the sidewalk as he demands your spare change? People are so mean...

[1rudeboy]

Bingo. Every foreign student I've met in Chicago tells me that Chicagoans are the friendliest people (to tourists) on the face of the planet.

[1rudeboy]

Gosh, I hope you didn't sprain your knee when it jerked.

[VeniVidiVici]

I call BS.

How about the simple fact that folks don't want to be strip-searched or put thru the ringer for a 7 - 15 hour flight?

My son worked the ticket counter for major intl. charter airlines last year and the amount of stuff they squeezed from the travelers was incredible. This was stuff they told folks to give up at the counter or delay thru security.

[Mr. Jeeves]

On the other hand, those who visit the real America and less traveled tourist destinations like Houston, Nashville, Atlanta, Salt Lake City or even Pittsburgh, PA...

Well, foreign visitors aren't especially interested in those types of places. They want to go to New York, Miami, San Francisco, or Los Angeles, just like Americans want to go to London, Paris, and Rome. Besides, they learned from watching Hollywood films that those places are full of fat, redneck racists. ;)

I think the big problem is the post-9/11 security changes rather than the rudeness of Americans. With all the red tape that's been added, I wouldn't be anxious to come here either.

[P-40]

Tourism sure isn't hurting here in Texas.

[skeeter]

Replacing Americans with foreigners and their culture was going to alter us.

Good point. The rudest American I encountered during my last trip to Europe was an obviously naturalized citizen who loudly proclaimed with a thick accent he was from San Francisco, as if expecting a round of applause.

[arizonarachel]

For starters, Americans would be more popular if they sensitized themselves to other cultures and learned a foreign language, Guittard said.

I really have nothing to say but: "LOL!"

[Doohickey]

That headline needs to be fixed. How about this:

Turn on charm to lure tourists - Big city liberals could help travel industry by being friendlier

[RockinRight]

"We are seen as arrogant, ignorant, loud, and we don't listen,''

And why not be? It worked for the French, and the libs are always saying how we should be more like the French.

[vigilante2]

"We are seen as arrogant, ignorant, loud, and we don't listen,

typical liberals of San Franfreako

[KsSunflower]

I completely agree. I work with exchange students and they always talk about how friendly Americans are and how they wish people in their countries were the same.

Also, I just returned from Italy and I found the people there to be extremely abrupt. We were almost always much friendlier to them than they were to us.

Also, we had an unexpected night spent in Warsaw and may I say, not so friendly there either.

[GeorgefromGeorgia]

I have lived in Germany from 87-91 and Saudi Arabia from 81-85. Also, I have traveled to 35 countries. Aside from the security requirements for entry into the US, foreigners that have visited the USA generally say that the Americans are very friendly. Other countries that have a good reputation for friendliness are Mexico and Australia. The British are high on the list in Europe. I take issue with the tone and slant of this article. Americans are very friendly and courteous of foreigners, especially compared to how Americans are sometimes treated in those countries. Our security and visa requirements are necessary and if that puts people off, that is just too bad.
We need to treat Poland like we do our other good allies regarding visas.

[RockinRight]

Yeah, like what, French? So we can be like the friendly, tourist-welcoming Frogs?

[Leisler]

""We are seen as arrogant, ignorant, loud, and we don't listen,''

Arrogant = not timid or afraid to say what we want to anybody.

Ignorant = Failure to say what we want in some pompous, hoity toity way. Failure to bow, kneel before authorities.

Loud = ibed.

Don't listen = Failure to obey supposed authorities.

Welcome to Americans, now screw and take your trap daughter and funny little car with you!

[IYAAYAS]

Down here in Ft Lauderdale I never pass up an opportunity to misdirect or mislead tourists with French accents. If they're asking directions, I figure they would enjoy a drive through "the hood".

[CaliGirlGodHelpMe]

Are they actually telling us to be nicer to tourists? I'm as nice as I can be to foreign people, but I can't say they exactly bend over backwards to be nice to me in foreign countries. Even people in the service and travel sector who ought to know better.

[Zuben Elgenubi]

"We are seen as arrogant, ignorant, loud, and we don't listen,'' said Guittard, a former State Department official who worked for five years in the Middle East

WAT DID U SAY, YOU LOSER???

[paristwelve]

American immigration agents in airports are a joke, at least the ones at JFK are. They come off as a bunch of ignorant oafs, slobs. Not only are they rude, but stupid as well! The average GI has got at least ten times more class than those union organized civil servant jerks. No offense to GIs.

Oof! I feel better. Thanks for the rant.

By the way, to __Guittard, a former State Department official__ The way you treat Americans who happen to wander into your precious embassies is not exactly the epitome of grace and civility.

[Disambiguator]

If you want a taste of overseas (and some domestic) travel, go buy P.J. O'Rourke's "Holidays in Hell". It's very informative, as well as being a gut-buster. Especially the piece about traveling in Lebanon in the mid-80s.