Described as the least generous or ready to tip, with bad marks for their overall behavior and politeness, French people are the world’s worst tourists, according to an article in AFP describing a new study on the subject.

The study of the global hotel industry by TNS Infrates describes the French as penny-pinching, rude, and terrible at foreign languages. The survey of 40,000 hotels worldwide ranked tourists from 27 countries based on nine criteria, from their politeness to their willingness to tip.

The French, however, fared better on elegance—placing third—as well as for their discretion and cleanliness.

For the third year in a row, Japanese tourists were named the best, and were described as clean and tidy, polite, quiet, and uncomplaining. Britons came in second for their overall behavior, politeness, quietness and elegance, and placed second in dress sense to the Italians. The Japanese were followed by Canadians as the least likely to complain when a trip goes wrong.

France’s rivals for the “worst tourist” tag, Spaniards and Greeks, came near the bottom of the pack in almost every category.

The French were also least likely to try a new language. U.S. tourists got top marks in that category, as well as for generosity. But on the negative side for U.S. tourists, they were named the least tidy, the loudest, the worst complainers, and the worst dressed.

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