Ban tipping say British holidaymakers

More than one in four British holidaymakers think tipping should be abolished according to the online travel community TripAdvisor, which found that more than half of Brits never tip at all on holiday.

Fifteen per cent of Britons admitted to being confronted by hotel staff for not leaving a tip and six per cent claimed their holidays had been ruined because of 'a tipping situation'. More than a third of Brits said they didn't holiday in the United States because they'd be expected to tip.

But TripAdvisor's study of more than 2,400 European travellers found that Britons were far from the meanest tippers in Europe; that accolade went to the Spanish, 80 per cent of whom claimed never to tip. They were closely followed by Italians, 78 per cent of who never tip and the French, 76 per cent of who don't leave a euro.

Tipping can be socially awkward and can cause endless embarrassment, especially on holiday when we are unfamiliar with local customs said Emyr Thomas, Director of concierge and lifestyle management company Bon Vivant.

"In some countries it is considered rude not to tip, so you might need to justify yourself, just as in others, such as Japan, it is often considered rude to tip at all."

Three-quarters of Brits admitted they didn't always check tipping etiquette in the country they were visiting. "I would always recommend reading up about the customs of a particular country before travelling there, said Thomas, However, if you are stuck, adding a tip of 10 per cent is the course of action least likely to cause offence and embarrassment."

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