Index ranks South Carolina tourists among the most polite in America

• NextVacay.com devised a ‘tourist politeness index’ to ascertain, state by state, which Americans have the best and worst reputations when they vacation domestically.
• Alaskans ranked the most polite tourists.
• Interactive map showing results by state.

Pick up any travel guide and you will most likely find a section dedicated to a range of specific cultural quirks which you would do well to study prior to embarking on a multi-destination trip. Indeed, a wrong hand gesture or comment may turn a situation ugly. For example, who would have thought that people from Hong Kong hate to be winked at? Or that a smiling Japanese person isn’t necessarily happy? When it comes to international travel, it is a long standing, and perhaps unfair, stereotype that American tourists have few social graces, characterized as being loud and obnoxious. This perception may be changing in post-covid times, as international destinations long for American tourists, but how do we fare within our own borders?

Vacation deal website, NextVacay.com devised a ‘tourist politeness index’ to ascertain, state by state, which Americans have the best and worst reputations when they vacation domestically.

They surveyed 3,000 people and asked respondents to evaluate tourist politeness on a scale from 1 to 10. It was discovered that the most polite tourists hail from Alaska, ranking a strong 8/10 for their travel manners. Known as being pretty laid back, it is perhaps not surprising Alaska travelers ranked so highly – the good people of The Last Frontier also know how to travel – the Alaska Interstate highway system is comprised of just four roads, so they are well accustomed to having to adapt travel plans without any complaints.

South Carolinians ranked among the most polite tourists in America, in 2nd place, following closely behind Alaskans. 

The LEAST polite tourists, however, were those from Washington state, who ranked just 4 out of 10. While the Evergreen State might consistently rank highly when it comes to environmentally-friendly states, its reputation when it comes to friendliness does take a significant dip. According to a survey carried out in 2019, over half of Pacific Northwest residents don’t even want to talk briefly to people they don’t already know. It gives credence to the phenomenon known as the ‘Seattle Freeze’ – which refers to a widely held belief that it is especially difficult to make new friends in the Washington city of Seattle. If they don’t get along particularly well with their local brethren, it is perhaps not surprising that they do not endear themselves to locals from other states when vacationing. Equally as impolite, tourists from Connecticut ranked 4 out of 10.

Interactive Tourists Politeness Index

It also appears Americans have a less than positive view of their fellow countrymen when they travel abroad. Less than half think that American tourists abroad are polite and therefore do not represent their country well – which influences a sizable 68% of respondents to confess that they’d avoid going to a foreign destination if they knew they had a known bad reputation there.

Closer to home, almost half (42%) of those surveyed who live in tourist hotspots said they would actually leave (if they could) for the vacation season, just to avoid tourists. And 1 in 3 respondents said they have had a domestic vacation negatively affected because of the bad behavior of other vacationers. Indeed, there might be particular times of year – such as Spring Break – that might attract the less well behaved tourist.

Despite any stereotypes, it is encouraging that a sizable 82% of American tourists say they would strictly follow Covid protocols when traveling abroad, like mask wearing and social distancing.

Finally, 38% admit that they actually miss America when they are abroad!