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LONDON - Are Canadians easily offended? They are when mistaken for Americans, according to Britain's national tourism agency.
New guidelines from VisitBritain ahead of the 2012 London Olympics warn that Canadians can be overly sensitive, especially about their national identity.
Seeking to help the country's sometimes snarky citizens offer a warmer welcome, the tourism bureau has updated its advice for anyone likely to work with travellers arriving from overseas — from hotel staff to taxi drivers.
The advice says Canadian tourists are likely to be quite annoyed about being mistaken for Americans, the guide suggests — urging workers to keep an eye out for Maple Leaf pins or badges on tourists' clothing.
Hold off from hugging an Indian, the guide advises, and don't be alarmed if the French are rude.
Other tips: Don't go around asking Brazilians personal questions and never be bossy with visitors from the Middle East.
"Giving our foreign visitors a friendly welcome is absolutely vital to our economy," said Sandie Dawe, chief executive officer of the agency. "With hundreds of thousands of people thinking of coming to Britain in the run-up to the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012, this new advice is just one of the ways that VisitBritain is helping the tourism industry care for their customers."
About 30 million people visit Britain each year, spending about 16.6 billion pounds (C$27 billion). The 2012 Olympics is likely to bring in an additional 2.1 billion (C$3.4 billion) in tourism revenue, according to a government estimate, and about 320,000 extra visitors from overseas during the games in July and August 2012.
VisitBritain said research it had conducted found tourists believe Britons are honest and efficient — but not the most pleasant. Britain is ranked 14th out of 50 in the Anholt-GfK Roper Nation Brands Index on the quality of welcome offered to visitors, the tourism agency said.
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LONDON - Are Canadians easily offended? They are when mistaken for Americans, according to Britain's national tourism agency.
New guidelines from VisitBritain ahead of the 2012 London Olympics warn that Canadians can be overly sensitive, especially about their national identity.
Seeking to help the country's sometimes snarky citizens offer a warmer welcome, the tourism bureau has updated its advice for anyone likely to work with travellers arriving from overseas — from hotel staff to taxi drivers.
The advice says Canadian tourists are likely to be quite annoyed about being mistaken for Americans, the guide suggests — urging workers to keep an eye out for Maple Leaf pins or badges on tourists' clothing.
Hold off from hugging an Indian, the guide advises, and don't be alarmed if the French are rude.
Other tips: Don't go around asking Brazilians personal questions and never be bossy with visitors from the Middle East.
"Giving our foreign visitors a friendly welcome is absolutely vital to our economy," said Sandie Dawe, chief executive officer of the agency. "With hundreds of thousands of people thinking of coming to Britain in the run-up to the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012, this new advice is just one of the ways that VisitBritain is helping the tourism industry care for their customers."
About 30 million people visit Britain each year, spending about 16.6 billion pounds (C$27 billion). The 2012 Olympics is likely to bring in an additional 2.1 billion (C$3.4 billion) in tourism revenue, according to a government estimate, and about 320,000 extra visitors from overseas during the games in July and August 2012.
VisitBritain said research it had conducted found tourists believe Britons are honest and efficient — but not the most pleasant. Britain is ranked 14th out of 50 in the Anholt-GfK Roper Nation Brands Index on the quality of welcome offered to visitors, the tourism agency said.
The frank etiquette tips were written by agency staff about their own native countries.
Polish tourists are likely to be hurt by stereotypes that imply they drink excessively, while the French are notoriously picky in restaurants, the guidelines claim.
U.K. workers are told to brush off common Argentine jokes about a person's clothing or weight. Belgians take offence at people snapping their fingers while Australians are fond of coarse language. Japanese people consider prolonged eye contact impolite and smile to express a range of emotions — not simply to show happiness.
Tourism workers are advised to show extra patience when dealing with guests from India or the United Arab Emirates.
"Indians are in general, an impatient lot, and like to be quickly attended to," the guidelines claim. "The more affluent they are, the more demanding and brusque they tend to be."
Indians also don't like being touched by strangers and may be suspicious about the quality of British food, the guide said, without noting the latter might be a common concern.
Travellers from the Middle East are likely to be demanding with staff and "are not used to being told what they can't do," the guide warns.
Guests from China and Hong Kong may find winking or pointing with an index finger rude, while "mentioning failure, poverty or death risks offence," the advice claims. Chinese visitors may be unimpressed by landmarks just a few hundred years old, tourism staff are told.
Workers are advised against discussing poverty, immigration, earthquakes or the Mexican-American war with visitors from Mexico — who prefer to chat about history and art.
And Americans? They can appear "informal to the point of being very direct or even rude" and won't ever hesitate about complaining, the guide says.
Xarrina
12-Aug-10 01:31
are you serious? In my humble opinion, most people dislike being identified by the wrong country of origin. I've spent alot of time in the U.S.A. and trust me, they don't like being identified as Canadians. --- btw, Darren, before you go criticizing a person's ability to speak or write a language (in regards to your comment about illiteracy in Canada), YOU really need to learn it as well! To quote you, "your ignorance is not strength" Agree |Disagree |Alert a moderator
Anouk
12-Aug-10 12:46
Etc. etc Just like the Dutch hate to be mistaken for Germans. Chinese people don't want to be called Japanese. And Brazilians don't want to be mistaken for Mexicans. And.. etc. etc. Agree |Disagree |Alert a moderator
Karen
11-Aug-10 05:55
Agreed! Agreed - I don't like being mistaken for an American! Most sounds spot on to me (for the nationalities/cultures I am familiar with - this doesn't include all mentioned of course) Agree |Disagree |Alert a moderator
Darren J Anderson
11-Aug-10 02:39
As a Canadian I would be proud to be mistaken for an American If I were in England I would be proud to be mistaken as an American even thought I am a third generation Canadian. Most Canadians do not even know how to speak English or shall I say proper English. My advice to my fellow Canadians is pick up a good book and work on and practice Your English skills and increase Your vocabulary. Know problem. No problem is all they know because a majority of Canadians are illiterate. When in the land of the Romans do as the Romans do. When in the land of Canada do as the Canadians do? Tao To Know and not be knowing, and your ignorance is not strength. Agree |Disagree 4|Alert a moderator
ts
11-Aug-10 02:00
It's true I'm extremely offended by their phallic Olympic mascots.
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