Have you not got a clue about when to tip abroad and how much to hand over?
A recent study revealed that 40 per cent of British travellers found tipping awkward and almost one in three confessed they did not know how much to tip in a destination.
To help holidaymakers understand the different rules when tipping abroad, Airport Parking and Hotels (APH) has compiled a comprehensive guide highlighting the relevant local customs. This is available in the Know Before You Go section of the website at www.aph.com/tipping
The research compares the rules and etiquette of tipping across 28 destinations, including Australia, France, Japan, Mauritius and USA, highlighting the local customs when tipping in hotels, restaurants, bars and taxis.
Top tips include:
- May be a surprise but only 12 of the 28 countries researched were found to expect tipping from customers.
- Some countries impose a mandatory service charge to bills, with Dubai including a 10% charge and France a 15% charge.
- Other countries such as USA and Canada calculate tips as a percentage of the total bill before tax, ranging from 10% for satisfactory service and 25% for outstanding service.
- Be aware that tipping is not expected in certain countries and can even be considered impolite. For example, most establishments in China impose a strict ‘no-tipping’ policy as certain quarters consider a tip to imply their work is undervalued by the employer.
- The exception to this rule of no tipping is when tipping a guide on a group tour which is usually expected to be around 12.11CNY (£1.22).
- Tipping is also generally not accepted in restaurants and hotels in Japan, except for when staying in a Ryokan (a traditional inn) where guests are expected to leave a small tip (around 1000JPY / £5) in an envelope before leaving.
- With regards to tipping in hotels, this varies. Hotel employees working in Australia do not expect to be tipped, whereas it is customary for guests to tip hotel staff in all other countries apart from Asia.
- The amount of tip is also dependent on the service being provided, with tips ranging from 10.00HRK (£1.09) to 20.00HRK (£2.18) for hotel porters in Croatia, whereas concierge can expect to receive between 15.00HRK (£1.63) to 25.00HRK (£2.72). Concierge staff in Germany and France, however, will expect between €8.00 (£6.60) to €20.00 (£16.63) dependent on the level of service and hotel.
