As the global travel and tourism industry is witnessing a continuous surge in overseas trip in the last few years, the cases of fraud, scam and duping are definitely adding a bad reputation for a number of popular cities. In a survey done on 2,000 British holidaymakers to tap the increasing trend of tourist scam cases abroad, it was observed that Spain followed by France, Italy, Turkey and Austria are the top 5 countries where travelers experienced the most tourist scams.
While certain cities may have gotten a bad rap over the years, in some European countries, dodging pickpockets and avoiding exorbitant taxi charges is simply the norm. Financial comparison site, money.co.uk, surveyed 2,000 British travellers who had gone to Europe in the past 12 months. Participants were asked if they’d fallen victim to a scam during their travels.
Common scams reported included pick pocketing, street crime, hidden tourist taxes and being overcharged by taxi drivers. Almost 15 per cent of those polled revealed that they’d been the victim of a tourist scam while in France, while another ten per cent had trouble while visiting Italy.
Common scams reported included pick pocketing, street crime, hidden tourist taxes and being overcharged by taxi drivers. Almost 15 per cent of those polled revealed that they’d been the victim of a tourist scam while in France, while another ten per cent had trouble while visiting Italy.
It was observed that overpriced taxi rides were the most common among the scam activities witnessed by the British holidaymakers. There are cases of pick pocketing as well and almost 23% of the respondents said that they faced it while on a holiday.
TOURIST SCAMMED, BY COUNTRY:
1. Spain – 21.5%
2. France – 14.8%
3. Italy – 10.2%
4. Turkey – 8.4%
5. Austria – 8.1%
6. Greece – 7.5%
7. Belgium – 7%
8. UK – 5.4%
9. Armenia – 4.4%
10. Cyprus – 4.4%
1. Spain – 21.5%
2. France – 14.8%
3. Italy – 10.2%
4. Turkey – 8.4%
5. Austria – 8.1%
6. Greece – 7.5%
7. Belgium – 7%
8. UK – 5.4%
9. Armenia – 4.4%
10. Cyprus – 4.4%
