Updated: 11:48, Friday October 20, 2006
A French tourism expert says his countrymen are among the rudest in the world when dealing with visitors.
Claude Origet du Cluzeau confessed the French can seem "arrogant and scornful" to tourists.
And his report said Gallic waiters "shun the idea of service with a smile".
Du Cluzeau said the French often seem "stressed out and distant" to visitors.
A third also refuse to hold a conversation in English, even when they are able to do so.
However, the research - by the International Tourism Market Symposium - showed France is still a hugely popular destination, attracting 76 million tourists this year.
SkyNews
