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Americans certainly leave their mark when stepping outside the US. Some nations don't exactly embrace Americans with open arms due to the country's foreign policy, while others find American culture and behaviors difficult to cater to.
The United States is largely customer-service oriented, so adapting to the cultures and norms in other contexts may be challenging for American tourists abroad. Regardless, there are 25 countries in particular that aren't so fond of American visitors. This shouldn't discourage Americans from traveling to these nations but rather offer an opportunity to consider how to be a good traveler and leave a positive impression.
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A Reddit discussion on the most annoying habits that American tourists have when traveling abroad includes testimonies of perceptions from people living in other countries that portray American visitors as entitled and even righteous at times.
Some experiences include habits like talking loudly at restaurants, being demanding of those working in customer service, expecting requests to be fulfilled immediately, and being overly friendly with staff at hotels or restaurants, among other practices that are considered quite common at home.
While there is nothing necessarily wrong with these behaviors, in different contexts, they can be considered rude.
In 2022 alone, approximately 93 million Americans made their way to foreign lands. The trend of visiting other nations is set to continue to rise.
In visiting other nations, tourists act as their nations’ unofficial ambassadors. The impressions they leave can be long-lasting.
According to a list compiled by Yahoo using data from sources such as the Pew Research Centre, there are 25 countries that aren't so thrilled to receive American tourists for various reasons. Some due to the nation’s foreign policy, others due to cultural clashes.
Austrian society is generally quite discreet and reserved, and Austrians perceive Americans as quite rowdy. They may consider this cultural difference to be quite bothersome.
Americans shouldn't take this one too personally. According to researchers, Norwegians, in general, aren't particularly enthralled with tourists as a whole, with the exception of their Scandinavian neighbors. But studies do show that of all groups of tourists, Norwegians are least excited about American and Chinese visitors.
American foreign policy regarding the Bosnian genocide and the Kosovo War largely drive Serbian perceptions of the United States. Exactly half of all Serbian respondents to a survey measuring sentiments towards Americans considered them adversaries.
Americans may not be particularly shocked to learn that Cubans aren't so fond of them. The American embargo on Cuba, which has been devastating for the development of the nation, has been ongoing for more than 60 years. This has undoubtedly impacted Cubans' feelings towards Americans.
Slovenians have historically been weary of American politics and cultural values. While research notes that sentiments are improving, they remains unfavorable.
By now, you might have guessed that lingering Cold War sentiments play a part in how former Soviet nations and their allies perceive Americans. Nations, like Belarus, suffering challenging economic situations may attribute these conditions to America's influence, thereby shaping their view of American visitors.
History sheds light on why Chileans harbor negative feelings about Americans. The United States is notorious for its historical intervention in Latin American affairs. Chile's US-backed military coup in 1973 installed the notorious dictator Augusto Pinochet (pictured), who ruled the nation with violence for decades, resulting in the execution of thousands of civilians, enforced disappearances, and mass torture.
Similar to US military interventions in Latin America and political positions regarding former Soviet nations, the Vietnam War certainly left a lasting mark on Singaporeans' sentiments toward Americans. These resentments have extended to the nation's citizens' perceptions of American foreign policy more broadly.
Geopolitics play a significant role in Pakistani perceptions of Americans. US-India military ties and cooperation, western Islamophobia, and post-9/11 military actions, as well as US lead and backed invasions and interference in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Palestine, among others, is a significant contributor to sour perceptions of American visitors among Pakistan's citizens.
The Kiwis aren't big fans of American visitors due to some cultural differences that irk the nation's citizens. Perceptions of Americans as being loud and entitled, as well as their resistance to adapting to local norms, are some notable driving factors.
Americans may be surprised to see their neighbor so high on the list. Despite the fact that most of the nation's tourists come from the United States and Canada, Mexicans feel unfairly depicted in American media and often negatively stereotyped by Americans. In addition to military threats and the state of border relations, Mexicans hold unfavorable opinions of American visitors.
As with other Latin American nations, America's support for Argentina's 'Dirty War,' referring to its period under a brutal military dictatorship, is certainly a significant contributor toward long-standing negative sentiments that the nation's citizens continue to harbor towards Americans. Tens of thousands of executions and enforced disappearances, mass torture, and other violent conditions were rampant in the country with US support. Pictured is the March for Life, a mass protest organized by mothers whose children were disappeared by the regime.
American foreign policy, anti-Muslim sentiments, and other factors significantly contribute toward Malaysians' distrust of American visitors.
Well over 150,000 Afghanis have died as a result of American military action in their country, leaving profound negative impressions of Americans on the civilian population.
A history of tense US-China relations, unfavorable portrayals of Chinese people in American media and political rhetoric, and the negative portrayal of American culture in Chinese media drive negative sentiments toward American visitors.
Lingering post-Cold War tensions, the US government and American media's portrayal of Russians, and America's positions on the Ukraine-Russia conflict and subsequent sanctions further soured perceptions of Americans.
According to the research, American foreign policy plays a significant role in Turkish reactions to American tourists.
Similar to Turkey, American foreign policy and military interventions in the region shape Tunisian perceptions of American tourists.
American regional foreign policy positions, as well as the US-backed Israeli occupation and invasion of Southern Lebanon, its bombing campaign in several Lebanese regions, and its support for the assassination of its leaders shape Lebanese perceptions of American visitors.
Both the Gulf War and the post-9/11 American invasion of Iraq stained Iraqi perceptions of Americans. According to a study conducted by scientific journal The Lancet, well over 650,000 Iraqis were killed during the US invasion. The devastating aftermath, coupled with American foreign policy in the region have left deep scars.
The US-backed Israeli occupation of Palestine is a major contributing factor in Jordanians' negative sentiments toward American visitors, in addition to other American foreign policy positions in the region.
Although Americans are not allowed to travel to North Korea, this is due to the position that the US took during the Korean War and its ever-strengthening relationship with South Korea. American media's portrayal of North Koreans, as well as the country's foreign policy and sanctions, shape the country's perspective on American visitors.
American regional foreign policy, including US support for Israel and involvement in the nation's civil war, are key reasons that locals don't feel warmly towards Americans.
The 1953 US-backed coup that overthrew democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh and replaced him with the Shah is one of the long-standing reasons that Iranians hold negative sentiments toward American visitors. Anti-Iranian sentiments in American media and vice versa are also key factors.
The nation that dislikes American tourists the most is Egypt. There are a number of fairly recent events that further cultivated unfavorable views of American tourists. The US-backing of the Mubarak regime and America's resistance to supporting the Egyptian Revolution are two key factors. The subsequent US support for the coup that displaced democratically-elected Mohammad Morsi in favor of the authoritarian regime of Abdel Fattah el-Sisi also plays a significant role.
Sources: (Yahoo) (Insider Monkey) (The Lancet)
See also: The US has been involved in wars for 94% of its existence
These countries don't welcome American tourists
Not every country is eager to have visitors from the US
TRAVEL United states
Americans certainly leave their mark when stepping outside the US. Some nations don't exactly embrace Americans with open arms due to the country's foreign policy, while others find American culture and behaviors difficult to cater to.
The United States is largely customer-service oriented, so adapting to the cultures and norms in other contexts may be challenging for American tourists abroad. Regardless, there are 25 countries in particular that aren't so fond of American visitors. This shouldn't discourage Americans from traveling to these nations but rather offer an opportunity to consider how to be a good traveler and leave a positive impression.
Curious? Click on.