Travel search site Skyscanner recently released a list of the world’s rudest nations for visitors, naming the countries whose smiley and friendly natives are apparently confined to their promotional videos. The result, which lists 34 countries, is based on Skyscanner’s online poll, which received more than 1,200 responses from Europe, North America and Australia.

La Belle France was declared the champion of impoliteness, garnering nearly 20 percent of the total votes. French people are known for “their abrupt and curt nature,” especially while facing foreign tourists,  Edinburgh-based Skyscanner told International Business Times.  Russia took second place with 16.6 percent of the votes, followed by the United Kingdom (10.4 percent), Germany (9.93 percent) and a puzzingly labeled “Others” (miscellaneous countries). China (4.3 percent) ranked sixth on the list, leading Asia.

China-based etiquette expert Lawrence Lo pointed out that language barriers and cultural differences are the two major players behind the ranking. Yi Bao, Skyscanner marketing manager for China, gave an example to back the “culture difference” theory. According to Yi, though queuing is a social norm in the West, it’s not a common behavior for Chinese people, “so [it] could be interpreted as being rude [by international travelers.]”

The personality of hospitality staff is another contributing factor. Lo said many restaurants’ waiting staff in Chinese cities are usually young women from rural areas, and that the Chinese are naturally more shy than Westerners. Lo also said the result of the survey depended on what type of travelers were voting.

Travelers, it’s your chance to speak up! What do you think is the rudest country for international visitors?

Source: CNN Go

Image: International Business Times