The world's worst tourists

The world's worst tourists, roughly categorized by Ralf Potts, are as follows:

Americans: Ignorant. Loud. Oblivious to surroundings. Insincere.

French: Rude. Bigoted. A trifle out of touch with reality.

Germans: Humorless. Rule-obsessed. Unfriendly. Stubborn.

Israelis: Rude. Cheap. Arrogant. Cliquish.

Canadians: Exactly like Americans, but more soft-spoken, more polite, less ignorant, and twenty times more boring.

Before I go any further here, I will admit three things. First, I realize the circular logic inherent in making generalizations about the generalizations of British travelers (and I apologize if you happen to be one of those Brits who isn't a nationalistic busybody). Second, I realize that half the readers who've stumbled across my column this week have skipped straight from the headline to the above list, and are now typing angry things in the comments section below (especially if they happen to be American, French, German, Israeli, or Canadian). And, third, I'll concede that the British fixation with national character reveals an impressive knack for world geography (in contrast to us Americans, who associate "Vienna" less with a European city than with canned snack sausages).

We wonder how Indian tourists are seen as by others.

Read tips on how to avoid being a bad tourist.