21 October, 2014

By VIVA Team

The short of it is… Brits are among the most well-received holidaymakers

Better behaved, unfailingly polite and pretty generous tippers – Brits abroad have smartened up their act, according to a recent poll of 500 hotel workers worldwide by travel website Sunshine.co.uk…

The survey laid to rest some outdated notions that British tourists were among the worst behaved when in foreign climes, finding instead that Brits are generally well received in the resorts they frequent.

One persistent gripe – prevalent among 52 per cent of those polled – was that British tourists still ‘drink to excess’, but otherwise, Britons are leaving a more favourable impression on their foreign hosts.

They still have a little way to go to catch the Dutch, however, with 21 per cent of hotel staff polled stating that they were the most pleasant to deal with. However, Brits came second, winning the approval of 16 per cent of those surveyed, followed by Germans (13 per cent), Spaniards (11 per cent) and then the Irish, with a surprisingly low score of just eight per cent.

The 500 staff polled were asked to compare current behaviour to their experiences of three years ago. Today, 65 per cent polled reckon the Brits are generous tippers, but 18 per cent found the opposite – that Brits are stingier now than in 2011.

The famous British politeness found favour abroad, too, with 54 per cent saying that they found Brits polite when holidaying, while a massive 71 per cent believe that the overall behaviour of British tourists has improved in the past three years.

“It’s great that holidaymakers from the UK are finally getting a better reputation abroad,” said Chris Clarkson, Sunshine.co.uk’s Managing Director. “For too long, we’ve been known for our overly patriotic outfits, our stingy tips and 24-hour drinking culture.

“Perhaps we’re still known for our ability to put away ten pints before lunch, but at least hotel staff around the world have noticed a change and people are being more courteous.”