Foreign cuisine does not tickle the palate of Indian tourists: survey

However, Indian tourists are not alone. Chinese and Japanese tourists share similar traits when it comes to experimenting with the cuisine of the countries they visit, says the survey by Expedia.

Indian tourists, however, have got average scores on their behaviour, manners, willingness to learn the local language or try local cuisine, generosity, tidiness, volume, fashion sense and propensity to complain.

The survey has found that hoteliers across the globe consider Japanese tourists as the best. The German and British tied for second place, followed by Canadians and the Swiss.

The survey has also revealed interesting findings on the behaviour patterns of the global tourist. According to the study, Americans are considered the most generous, followed by the Canadians and Russians. “The Americans always make it a point to learn a few key sayings in the local language and sample local delicacies,” it says.

But in contrast to the generosity and willingness to absorb the local culture, Americans are the worst when it comes to behavioural patterns. They are considered to be noisy along with the Italians and British. They are also a complaining lot along with the Germans and French and are among the least tidy hotel guests.

According to the survey, the Americans fall to the bottom of the list when it comes to dressing habits as well.

The survey says that the French, Chinese and Japanese were the least likely to incorporate the local language. A similar survey carried out last year among European hoteliers had rated Indians as most impolite. However, this time round Indians seem to have improved their performance on this front.

“Hoteliers are the experts when it comes to interacting with tourists, so as the busy summer travel season approaches and vacationers prepare for their own travel experiences, we thought it would be fun to present some of their common perceptions regarding tourists from around the world,” said Karyn Thale, travel expert, Expedia.

Trailing the traveller

• The most popular tourists in their own country are the Canadians followed by Belgians and Swiss

•French tourists are seen as the most “fiscally conservative,” followed by the Dutch and British

•The Germans, just before the Japanese and British, are considered the tidiest tourists — never leaving a mess