It's not rare for people from all over the world to come together online to express their frustration with American tourists. And as a new viral TikTok video shows, that includes their compatriots too.
Earlier this month, content creator Elisheva, who currently lives in Scotland, turned to the social media platform to share a few stories she witnessed at a local pharmacy that illustrate the (in)famous notion of US citizens thinking the whole world has to revolve around their country.
Of course, ignorance isn't exclusive to just one nationality. It's universal. However, with so many travelers coming from this corner of the globe, theirs is often on display the most.
Meet Elisheva, an American currently living in Scotland who witnessed just how ignorant her fellow citizens can appear abroad
Image credits: elisheva_says
She recalled the worst ones on TikTok
Image credits: Tbel Abuseridze (not the actual photo)
Chances are, we'll be hearing more similar accounts (and not just about Americans).
International tourism saw a close to 200% year-over-year increase in the first quarter of 2022, and even though several related statistics are still well below 2019 levels, gradual recovery is expected to continue throughout the year, according to June analysis from the United Nations World Tourism Organization.
In fact, almost 50% of experts surveyed by the organization believe that international tourism will return to those pre-pandemic levels from three years ago in 2023, while 44% said it could be 2024 or later.
For Americans, the most popular international destination is Mexico, a place where they find plenty of beach resorts, from high-end to low, and lots of culture, great food, and vegan yoga retreats. Even during the pandemic, Americans continued to skip – at times controversially – over the border separating the two countries.
Following the neighborly trend, Canada is the second most popular destination, with Britain (and mainly London) making an appearance in a distant third.
And many nations are actually waiting for its travelers. Not only is the U.S. one of the most important countries for tourism, but it's also now one of the most vaccinated in the world.
Furthermore, as writer Yasmeen Serhan pointed out in The Atlantic, those Americans lucky enough to have saved money during the pandemic are suddenly finding themselves with disposable income, which, at least, is what European countries are counting on, as tourism makes up 10 percent of the continent's GDP, and significant shares of the economies of tourist destinations such as Italy, Greece, and Spain.
While the sector may survive one lost summer season, the millions of people it employs can't afford to lose another.
So, as with most things in life, we can't judge these examples in black and white.
Her video instantly went viral, racking up 1.5 million views
Elisheva has turned the topic into a series
And has been working on it ever since
Covering subjects such as accents, national holidays, and guns
Here's what people have said after watching her videos
