European country 'everyone agrees Brits are most unwelcome' - but locals say it's not true
European country 'everyone agrees Brits are most unwelcome' - but locals say it's not true
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Last year's battle with overtourism has left a bitter taste in the relationship between several countries and British holidaymakers. While Brits are among the biggest travellers in the world, with the country spending £64 billion on holidays last year, visitors from the UK are less welcome in some places than others. Earlier this year, tensions escalated a little in Tenerife with the appearance of disturbing "kill a tourist" graffiti.
If any country's people were the target of that sentiment, it was Britain. In 2022, 44 per cent of all visitors to the Canary Islands came from the UK. The issue of overtourism is gaining momentum again this year, as the rising cost of living in places including Spain and Greece has led to protests, law changes and even the soaking of tourists with water pistols.
Joining the debate, one Reddit user asked which "country you visited where you felt uncomfortable or unwelcome because you were British?" The overwhelming consensus did not point the finger of frosty hospitality at Spain or Greece, but at France. One Reddit user recalled their personal experience: "France. It might have just been the town or area that we were in, but we found that a lot of the locals and cafes/restaurants took an active dislike to us.".
One issue that came up repeatedly was language, with unhappy Brits on Reddit claiming their attempts at the lingo were met with cold shoulders. One wrote: "Everywhere we went, we spoke okish French, and we're putting lots of effort into communicating. Only one restaurant made any sort of effort back to us, and luckily, that attempted to be the best one in the town, so they got our custom for the rest of the time we were there.".
