Thailand Tops Hospitality Survey, France Is Last
Abi BrayAccording to a recent survey carried out online with 1,412 Britons, France is perceived to be the least friendly country in the world to visit.
Respondents were asked to rank 10 countries including France, the United States and Mexico, according to hospitality image and perception.
The survey was performed by Zoover with more than 24,000 people around the world. Certain countries, such as Iraq, Somalia and Afghanistan, had been excluded from the list of holiday destinations.
The survey participants in Britain had ranked the South East Asian country of Thailand as the world’s most hospitable holiday destination, gathering a stunning 25 percent of the vote. The United States managed to get 11 percent of British respondents as the number one spot and France was ranked dead last by the Britons with a mere two percent.
The hospitality poll was carried out during the month of October to highlight a selection of countries which treated visitors in the friendliest way.
Chrit Blonden, marketing executive at Zoover was hard pressed to give an accurate reason for voting patterns, although he did give his opinion for France’s low score.
According to Blonden, when tourists enter France, they do not feel invited and welcomed. There seems to be a total disregard for visitors. But in the case of Thailand, people take a genuine interest in foreigners, are extremely polite and most of them will invite you to a drink and so on.
Jacqueline Mirtelli, the chief of public relations in London for the French Tourism Development Agency said the survey performed by Zoover seems not to have taken into account statistical figures which demonstrate that in 2008, some 78 million visitors from around the world came to France. Of the total 11 million were British.
Ms Mirtelli further explained that more than 350,000 Britons have purchased properties in France, adding that they must have found a reason to do so.
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Filed under Europe News, Holiday News, Travel News, World News