The sentiment of French people being rude to visitors is a well-worn cliche, with some claiming that they have been overwhelmed with the briskness of their Gallic hosts
Last year’s battle with overtourism has left a bitter taste in the relationship between several countries and British holidaymakers.
While Brits are among the biggest travellers in the world, with the country spending £64 billion on holidays last year, visitors from the UK are less welcome in some places than others. Earlier this year, tensions escalated a little in Tenerife with the appearance of disturbing “kill a tourist” graffiti.
If any country’s people were the target of that sentiment, it was Britain. In 2022, 44 per cent of all visitors to the Canary Islands came from the UK. The issue of overtourism is gaining momentum again this year, as the rising cost of living in places including Spain and Greece has led to protests, law changes and even the soaking of tourists with water pistols.
Joining the debate, one Reddit user asked which “country you visited where you felt uncomfortable or unwelcome because you were British?” The overwhelming consensus did not point the finger of frosty hospitality at Spain or Greece, but at France.
One Reddit user recalled their personal experience: “France. It might have just been the town or area that we were in, but we found that a lot of the locals and cafes/restaurants took an active dislike to us.”
One issue that came up repeatedly was language, with unhappy Brits on Reddit claiming their attempts at the lingo were met with cold shoulders. One wrote: “Everywhere we went, we spoke okish French, and we’re putting lots of effort into communicating. Only one restaurant made any sort of effort back to us, and luckily, that attempted to be the best one in the town, so they got our custom for the rest of the time we were there.”
The sentiment was echoed by commenters who claimed they were overwhelmed with the briskness of their Gallic hosts. “Never experienced so much rudeness in any other country, even in places where I could not speak their language at all,” another wrote.
Last year an American woman went viral when she posted a TikTok video of her tearfully telling the camera that traveling in France was “isolating” and that French people were unwelcoming. “They make me feel stupid, I don’t know. Like, why do I travel here,” Real PHD Foodie said.
Corinne Ménégaux, the head of the Paris tourism office, argues that the idea of the French being rude is an outdated cliche.
“This kind of bad PR doesn’t worry me because it’s anecdotal. I think maybe 15 or 20 years ago the French were less welcoming, but nowadays we’ve got past that cliché. You inevitably have a small percentage of people who aren’t nice, and there’s not much you can do about it. It’s a reality of big cities, just like in London or New York,” she told the Washington Post.
Frédéric Hocquard, the city councilor responsible for tourism and nightlife in Paris, said efforts had been made to make France a little more welcoming in the run-up to international events, including the Rugby World Cup and Olympics. Covid was also a part of that shift, he claimed.
“There’s still the cafe waiter who doesn’t speak to you and sullenly serves you a Coca-Cola for 15 euros. I’m not saying that doesn’t exist anymore. But we have seen a real improvement. There was this period when we had no tourists at all. And the tourist industry realized it had to make a bit of effort.”
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