For the first time ever, Expedia has published the results of a survey that focused on the good and the bad travel habits and practices of tourists from different countries, only to discover that the Japanese came out on top, when it came to the good traits. The study was based on the participation of 4,000 hoteliers from around the world, who provided their opinions on how members of different national groups ‘behave’ when they are in foreign countries. The survey was quite detailed, touching on 10 different categories, including the given nation’s willingness to learn the basics of a foreign language when travelling, their manners, behaviour, whether they tend to complain, as well as their overall tidiness and generosity.

The Japanese earned the highest score in this survey, leading Expedia to point out that hoteliers around the world have the highest opinion of them. The British and Germans also scored very well, both coming in at second place, with Canadians seen as a close third. The Swiss were not far behind either, while American tourists took 11th place. Yet travellers from the US scored top marks in certain categories. For example, Americans are seen as the most likely to sample local food and were also more likely than others to learn a few foreign expressions, in order to get by in the host country. This is in stark contrast to the French, who are much less likely to try to use the local language during their trip. Americans are also seen as displaying greater generosity.

The tidiest tourists are apparently the Germans, who are said to seldom leave a mess in their hotel rooms, while the Japanese also scored near the top of this list. The most frugal visitors, however, are the French and the British, who tend to carefully consider what they spend their money on while travelling abroad.