Scum Of The Earth

‘MINUS 44. It’s nothing to be proud of, is it? In fact, as scores go, it’s pathetic. Yet that’s the score awarded to British tourists in a poll of the world’s tourist operator.

The scourge of Europe’s beaches

Brits came bottom, behind Israelis, who managed only a paltry minus six. But most galling of all, is the action at the top end of the chart, where the Germans are sitting ugly with an astonishing plus 41. Americans come second with 32.

This really puts Britain’s achievement into perspective. The Telegraph quotes the survey as describing us as ‘the least wanted visitors in the world’. And we all know what happens when you tell people they’re not wanted.

We are rude, tight-fisted and make no effort to speak foreign languages. The Irish and Danes were also regarded as badly behaved, but couldn’t compete with the Brits across a wide range of negative characteristics.

‘A little effort goes a long way in a foreign country,’ said Dermot Haplin, managing director of Expedia travel agents, who conducted the survey. Indeed it does. The message is clear: anyone wishing to challenge the British are going to have to pull their fingers out – and wave them rudely in the face of their foreign hosts.

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Posted: 19th, July 2002 | In: Broadsheets Comment | TrackBack | Permalink