JUST SAYING

If we Brits are deemed so uncouth by our European neighbours, why are they so keen to have us back? Oliver Smith has the answer

British sunseekers, they say, are the pits. They roll off Ryanair jets and loll on the sand like sides of ham, interrupting their tanning efforts only to consume full English breakfasts and pint after pint of export strength lager. So why, pray tell, are our European cousins so keen to welcome us back?

That’s right. The Mediterranean nations are dying to see us, with Greece, Turkey, Portugal, Spain and Cyprus all promising in recent weeks that Brits will be at the front of the queue – so long as we’re vaccinated or take a test. In fact, Turkey won’t impose any restrictions. “They want our money!” I hear you cry. Well, yes, that is certainly true. In 2019, we spent £52 billion on our overseas sojourns.

But perhaps there’s more. Perhaps, far from being universally hated – as those Britain-bashing sections of the middle class would have you believe, UK holidaymakers are thought of rather fondly on foreign shores.

For confirmation, I asked our team of expat experts for their verdict.

“The cash is the main thing, but the French also miss us as jolly good people,” said Anthony Peregrine, a resident of the country for 30 years. “They’re loath to admit it, but it’s true. I’m regularly told that we’re the sort of wellbehaved guests they like to welcome: unusually appreciative of French culture, gastronomy and traditions, courteous, modest and cheerful. And we don’t complain much.”

Heidi Fuller-Love, our Greek expert, added: “Ever since Lord Byron laid down his life for the Greek cause during their war of independence

‘The British are viewed as loyal old friends who return time and again’

in 1821, the Greeks have had a soft spot for the English, meaning they will generally turn a blind eye to our bizarre habits.” Anna Nicholas, a Mallorca resident for 20 years, said: “The Spanish economy relies heavily on tourism – but there’s more to it than that. The British are viewed as loyal old friends who return time and again to experience the magic of Spain. There is mutual appreciation.” There you have it. We’re surprisingly cultured bunch who just want our

week in the sun.

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h Money talks: the French may be after our cash, but ‘they also miss us as jolly good people’, says resident expert Anthony Peregrine