New tourism guidelines for the 2012 London Olympics warn that Indians can be rude, Canadians easily offended and the French predictably picky over meals.
Seeking to improve the sometimes frosty welcome on offer to tourists, VisitBritain issued advice on Wednesday on how best to handle foreign visitors.
Britons are advised to show patience when dealing with guests from India or the UAE, and to brush off coarse jokes from Australians or Argentines.
The advice says Canadian tourists are likely to be upset if mistaken for US citizens, while Americans won’t hesitate to complain when things go wrong.
Britain expects about 320,000 extra visitors from overseas during the London Olympics in July and August 2012.