We've all been there. You're on holidays overseas, minding your own business and having a great time when some loud, obnoxious tourist starts ruining it for everyone by disrespecting the local culture or comparing everything to 'back home'. It's rude and it's ugly, but are we as Australian's guilty of this bad behaviour while travelling overseas?
A recent survey conducted by travel app Triposo, has ranked the top 10 countries with badly behaved tourists and while some of the results may be surprising, others probably aren't. Covering everything from manners and travel etiquette to drunk and disorderly behaviour, the results show which countries are poorly represented by their tourists.
The top 10 countries with badly behaved tourists are:
1. USA
2. Britain
3. Russia
4. China
5. Australia
6. Germany
7. India
8. France
9. Italy
10. Brazil
Brazil ranked 10th as the naughtiest travellers abroad while the Italians gained a spot for their rude and lewd behaviour. The French were deemed most likely to engage in scandalous behaviour while India scored just above for their poor form. At number 6, Germany ranks not only for bad behaviour but also for travel-related complaints.
About halfway up the list, Australian's maintain their cheeky but harmless reputation while China tops us as some of the worst behaved. Russians neared the top of the list as the most difficult and drunk tourists while the British reinforce their reputation for bawdy barroom banter. Topping the list as the most badly behaved tourists are Americans with 33% of all respondents rating them the worst and 44% of all American respondents even admitting they're notoriously bad.
The majority of the findings showed that alcohol and illegal activities contributed to bad behaviour with 60% of respondents admitting to taking part in alcohol-fuelled escapades while 11% said that drinking had resulted in them hurting themselves or someone else. More disappointing was that 20% admitted to stealing whilst on holidays overseas and 15% admitted to purchasing or selling drugs, however only 2% reported being arrested.
To avoid being THAT tourist, it's important to remember that you are in fact representing your country while overseas and that just because you're in another country doesn't mean all common decency goes out the window. The best part about travelling overseas is getting out of your comfort zone, trying new things, meeting new people and experiencing something different. Embrace that opportunity with an open mind and you'll be welcomed wherever you go.
