VisitBritian, the taxpayer-funded marketing body that promotes the U.K. as a destination for international travelers, released a list of “dos and don’ts” for hoteliers and tour operators that may be construed as offensive to several nationalities of people.
According to this article from the Daily Mail, the “market research” was released as a way to ensure that Britian’s hoteliers and tourism officials are giving guests the best service.
But nearly all of the tips seem to stereotype travelers from specific countries. For instance, one piece of advice advises hoteliers not to “exchange a smile or make eye contact with anyone from France that you don’t know.” Another bit of wisdom tells hotel managers to deal with complaints from German or Austrian tourists quickly because they can be “straightforward and demanding” to the point of “seeming rude and aggressive.”
One of the stranger pieces of advice—although all of the tips seem off base—is to avoid putting “superstitious people from Hong Kong” in a “historic property or a four poster bed” because they “associate them with ghostly encounters.” And if you’re a hotelier in Britain and have those “tall nation” Russians coming to stay, make sure you find them a room with a “high ceilings and doorways.”
Joss Croft, marketing director at VisitBritain, told the Daily Mail: ‘Our market intelligence reports provide an unrivalled source of information on inbound tourism, allowing British businesses to gain an invaluable insight on key markets globally.’
We’d like to think that hoteliers working in the U.K. have the common sense and service knowledge to provide their guests with the best possible service, no matter what country they come from. Reactions? Comments?
See the full list over on the Daily Mail.
