Most Obnoxious Tourists? The French.

Yahoo! ^ | 07/07/2008 | Bruce Crumley

[Ultra Sonic 007]

Remember the tightwad tourist whose baggy shorts, frequent complaining and shouted questions about why none of the locals spoke any English made the ugly American the world's Visitor From Hell? Well, it's time for Archie Bunker to move over and make way for Petulant Pierre. According to a recent international survey, the French are now considered the most obnoxious tourists from European nations, and behind only Indians and the last-place Chinese as the worst among all countries worldwide. And it's not only the rest of the world that have a gripe with the Gallic attitude: the French also finished second to last among nations ranking the popularity of their own tourists who vacation at home.

But it's the unflattering image being reflected from abroad that may give pause to the millions of French travelers now heading off to summer vacation destinations across the globe. Will that move them to improve behavior the poll characterized as impolite, prone to loud carping and inattentive to local customs? If so, that's just the start: the study also describes the voyageur franÇais as often unwilling or unable to communicate in foreign languages, and particularly disinclined to spending money when they don't have to - including on those non compris tips.

[Ultra Sonic 007]

Geez. The French get over a whole MONTH off?

With only a 35-hour full-time work week?!

Lazy bums.

[Ultra Sonic 007]

A French ping!

Get out the baguettes.

[conservative cat]

We ran into some rude French at Zion last summer...but it didn’t keep me awake at night.

I have heard that the Russian tourists are starting to give all of us a run for the ugly tourist money.

[Tzimisce]

...what do you expect from one of the most left nations on Earth?

[Slings and Arrows]

"Le ping!"

---

[arderkrag]

Yeh, but that only applies to the ones that work. And many press their employers to give them even more time.

The France wiki page has this to say:

In fact, France has one of the lowest percentages of its population aged 15-64 years at work among the OECD countries. In 2004, 68.8% of the French population aged 15-64 years was in employment, compared to 80.0% in Japan, 78.9% in the UK, 77.2% in the US, and 71.0% in Germany.[28] This phenomenon is the result of almost thirty years of massive unemployment in France, which has led to three consequences reducing the size of the working population: about 9% of the active population is without a job; students delay as long as possible their entry into labour market; and finally, the French government gives various incentives to workers to retire in their early 50s, though these are now receding.

[QBFimi]

What country is James Carville from? I had him on an airplane (first class DC to Denver) some years ago; the Flight Attendants coulda killed him. What a snot - he whined and bitched the whole way, trashed the place, then pushed people out of the way to get off first! We were 20 minutes early.

[Vermont Lt]

I am on the last few days of a month long trip across the country with my 15 year old daughter.

We are stunned by the shear number of foreigners pushing and shoving their way to the front of the lines.

Its gotten to be kind of a family joke to rate which ones we hate the most. Right now its the Chinese who look at you with a stupid smile and yack some gibberish as they plow their way in front of us.

The Paks and Indians are clearly the nicest.

The arabs (whether they are Saudi, Egyptian, or others) are in the middle of the pack. They are rude to me, but are nice to my girl. (Not in a creepy way, but in a respectful way.)

The English and Aussies just sound so cool.

Then there are Dutch, Germans, and other Europeans. They are OK.

Of course, the worst are New Yorkers and Mass-holes. But we deal with them every day.

[MeekOneGOP]

[Quix]

Zute Alhor! [sp?—been more than 30 years]

The French rude?

Certainment!

[Islander7]

He’s a Coonass for Louisiana. LOL!

[Islander7]

for = from

[GladesGuru]

As Captain, couldn’t you have justifiably claimed you thought he was that ‘golum’ critter from whatever the name of that movie was? On that basis, out of control Hollyweird props can be put back in the closet, can’t they?

[rlmorel]

Mass-holes?

Gee, I wonder what the real conservatives left up in Vermont think of their “Fellow Vermonters” who have destroyed the state, turning it into a birkenstock wearing, marxist PC paradise?

Kind of like the French touring in their own country, though perhaps not as nice.

I’m sure that is some other class of Vermonter and not you, though.

[Darth Hillary]

There is no hell. There is no such place as hell.

There is ony France.

-Frank Zappa

[trisham]

Of course, the worst are New Yorkers and Mass-holes. But we deal with them every day.

****************

I'm from Massachusetts. I guess I didn't realize how tony you Vermonters are.

Now that I've read your post, I realize how inferior we are in vocabulary.

[cyborg]

Eh it’s revenge for the ugly Americans they put up with. Maybe it’s some sort of exchange program.

[Clemenza]

I find the Germans to be the worst. Going to nightclubs in South Florida and starting fights, wearing speedos up to the age of death in the hotel lobby, acting loud and rude toward any American they meet, etc.

As for the Chinese, I would say that the men are OK as tourists, but that the women are NASTY and have a habit of SHRIEKING in the most annoying way to retail personnel.

Indians can be a little rude, but are nowhere near as bad as the folks mentioned above. I have never had a problem with French tourists in the US.

[Clemenza]

What country is James Carville from?

From the Banana Republic known as Louisiana.

[Clemenza]

The Massholes, particularly the back-slapping drunks who call themselves "Irish" (even though they've never set foot in Ireland their entire lives) are the worst in terms of out of state tourists.

Most of the Vermont hippies moved up there from New York, New Jersey, and Mass anyway.