Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I certainly wouldnt say this is particularly new, Thais (who can be pretty racist actually) have always quite disliked indians, and for sure rich ones have a very particular level of entitlement.
However, russians are certainly the new wave of badly behaved tourist particularly in thailand. I recall being in Goa a few years back and seeing all the menus had photos on them, and so did the walls. I asked about that and was told that the russians would order food without knowing what it was, then when it came, said they didnt want it and refuse to pay.
Not to pile on to everything I said previously but travel is all about adapting an attitude of fun! You want happy and smiling people around you because that's the vibe everybody is going for when traveling. The Russians have their quirks but for the most part they are laughing and smiling and enjoying themselves. I was talking to one couple at the resort and we were comparing notes on where to eat dinner. They were fine, friendly and well behaved. Once you break the ice with Russians, they can be quite charming.
But the Indians were a wet blanket in that they were so dour looking. Again, we were at a resort in which over half there were Indian. A few times I almost felt like walking up to one of them to ask "are you even having a fun time?" They were a buzz kill, I must admit.
I flew back to Seattle and phoned my Indian friend and he laughed. He said more than likely all of the Indians were call center employees that were flown over to Thailand for their year end bonuses. That would make sense and the resort I stayed at probably advertises to the call centers. He also said "give them time, they'll learn how to behave."
One can omly imagine what it was like in other centuries. I actually owned an 1902 Arabic phrase-book that contained a translation for "My shoes are soiled -- See that the boot-black is caned."
The nouveau-riche are the worst offenders, which is exactly WHY it was once Ugly Americans.
The number of Chinese tourists here in Bangkok has really shot up over the past couple weeks. They were pretty scarce in December and the beginning of January but man have the flood gates opened up, the nice orderly queue that Thais form to pay for the card at the food court is now shaped like a bell curve with Chinese tourists who don't get the line up concept pushing in from the sides.
The number of Chinese tourists here in Bangkok has really shot up over the past couple weeks. They were pretty scarce in December and the beginning of January but man have the flood gates opened up, the nice orderly queue that Thais form to pay for the card at the food court is now shaped like a bell curve with Chinese tourists who don't get the line up concept pushing in from the sides.
Yes... "the line concept", it does seem as though there are a few cultures that are oblivious to doing things orderly and blind to a queue right in front of them. Or maybe they are socialized to a more Darwinian approach to life?
(For whatever reason line jumping is a particular trigger for me that shoots my temper from 1 to 100 immediately. I'm trying to overcome this reaction which is my own cultural reflex.)
Yes... "the line concept", it does seem as though there are a few cultures that are oblivious to doing things orderly and blind to a queue right in front of them. Or maybe they are socialized to a more Darwinian approach to life?
(For whatever reason line jumping is a particular trigger for me that shoots my temper from 1 to 100 immediately. I'm trying to overcome this reaction which is my own cultural reflex.)
Sometimes you have to call them out. We were in a queue at an airport in Italy when some young Italians tried to push in. My husband told them off in Italian, which they didn’t expect (we had been speaking to each other in English as we do) They slunk to the end of the line and all the locals thanked my husband.
But China. We first went there for a day in 1988, have returned regularly. Probably my favourite overseas trip ever was the month we spent there in 2017. The people were lovely and were often in queues. They were incredibly helpful, some ladies helped me up the Great Wall when my husband disappeared to take photos. As our guide said, it takes time for people to learn new etiquettes and we had observed the changes over many years. Whether the tourists emerging now have forgotten some things over the Covid era remains to be seen. But they deserve some sympathy as three years is a long time to be cut off from the world and there was only so much individuals could do about it.
Russians are not so bad. They just get drunk and sing Russian songs.
What a stereotype
But:
It’s important to remember that the stereotype of drunken and rude Russian tourists concerns popular resorts. Turkey, Thailand, and in the past – Egypt. These destinations are quite cheap and working class people can afford them. Unfortunately, some of these tourists are poorly educated and know nothing better than lying on a beach getting drunk, loud and disrespectful.
You can find misbehaving people from any country. It’s all about social skills and the politeness of particular people, not about nationality.
...just because one is a Brahmin back in India, doesn’t mean we should all bow down to you outside of India.
Asha Rangappa in a nutshell.
Quote:
Originally Posted by elnina
It's mostly new money/no class, "first" time travellers and people who finally feel that they can be "themselves" because no one knows or can recognize them in a foreign country.
Americans can have pretty ugly behavior, although from what I've seen travelling Russians are boorish in a way that is notable.
In my experience (encountering Russian immigrants more than tourists anyway), it's Russian men specifically. The women are generally much more agreeable.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
