Left-hand driving, lamb with mint, the twisted humor of Monty Python or modern sports, the British have made a lot of innovations in all these areas, starting with tourism. From “Grand Tour of Europe”, that participated in the 18th-century education of future lords and ladies, tourists before their time, to the first travel agency opened by Thomas Cook a century later, and then the flourishing of winter sports in the 20th century, the world of travel owes a great deal to the Royal subjects of the United Kingdom. At the beginning of this 21st century, the British continue to be great travelers.The excesses of British youth are under fire. Noisy, festive and often drunk, this clientele segment is not the most appreciated by European hoteliers and restaurateurs. Demonstrations were held recently in Malia, the Greek Ibiza. More generally, tourism players are not very warm towards the British. According to the Best Tourist League survey of a broad range of European hoteliers realized for Expedia, British tourists win the gold medal for worst tourism clientele. In 2007, the Brits lost this title to the French. The primary grievances encountered: cultural and linguistic arrogance, lack of taste for local cuisine, casual dress. And this clientele does not tip to boot …More than 60% of them take at least one trip abroad each year. With nearly 67 million trips outside their borders, generating nearly 45 billion euros in spending, the market on the other side of the Channel broke records in 2006. The world tourism heavyweight should continue playing this role. Since 1995, growth of the United Kingdom as a tourism supply market has varied between 4 and 7%, with exception to 2002 an annus horribilis if there ever was one. The forecasts are heartening for the years to come with healthy indicators...