Take a bow, Japanese voted world's best tourists

TOURISM HONOURS: Online survey finds out the best and worst about tourists.

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Singapore: Going on holiday soon? It would help if you became more like the Japanese, who were voted by hoteliers as the world's best tourists in a global travel survey released this month.

The survey, by online travel company Expedia.com, asked more than 4,000 hoteliers from across the globe to list their best overall travellers. It also rated the travellers on categories that included manners, willingness to learn the local language and sample the cuisine, tidiness, generosity and stylishness.

The Japanese won top prize for being overall best tourists. Germans and Britons tied for second place, followed by the Canadians and Swiss. American tourists came in at number 11 overall.

"Hoteliers are the experts when it comes to interacting with tourists," said Expedia.com travel expert Karyn Thale in a media release. "So as the busy summer travel season approaches and vacationers prepare for their own travel experiences, we thought it would be fun to present some of their common perceptions regarding tourists from all around the world."

The survey ranked American tourists as the most generous, followed by Canadians and Russians, while the French, British and Dutch were the most "fiscally conservative". Britons, Italians and Americans were considered noisy, while the French and Germans were among the messiest hotel guests. Americans were bottom of the list when it came to fashion sense, with Italians and French voted tops.

Expedia.com advised travellers to make an effort to be more tidy and considerate to make the most of their holiday. "Always remember that quality standards vary from country to country, so don't be shocked if some experiences may be different than you pictured," it added. Here is the list of top 10 overall travellers according to the survey: 1. Japanese 2. British/Germans 3. Canadians 4. Swiss 5. Dutch 6. Australians/Swedes 7. Belgians 8. Norwegians 9. Austrians/Danes/Finnish 10. New Zealanders