2015.02.09 IOL
It is a long-standing stereotype that the Germans are happy to spend time naked in public. But it seems for the first time the Austrians are set to give them a run for their money.
In a new poll, nearly a third of Austrian holidaymakers said they sunbathed in the nude on their travels – as many as those in neighbouring German did.
Questioned about their holiday habits, 28 percent of travellers from the two countries said they were happy to bare all on the beach.
According to Expedia’s annual Flip Flop report, which surveyed the behaviours and preferences of 12 000 holidaymakers across 24 countries in five continents, Europeans were the most at home with nudity on holiday.
European women are more likely to go topless than women from other parts of the world, while 49 percent of Austrian women do.
Spanish women (42 percent) and Germans (39 percent) followed close behind, saying they were happy to ditch their bikini tops on the beach.
By comparison, Britons and Americans are far less comfortable going nude on the beach. While only 12 percent of Britons strip off on the beach, a slightly more adventurous 13 percent of Americans sunbathe in the buff.
Worldwide, beach nudity is more common among men (18 percent) than women (6 percent). While the global average for nudity was only 12 percent, German and Austrian holidaymakers bucked the trend, with 28 percent saying they were happy to sunbathe naked.
The most modest beachgoers were from Asia, with only 2 percent of Japanese, 3 percent of South Korean and 4 percent of Thai beachgoers saying they had sunbathed nude.
But being modest didn’t translate into being uncomfortable with the practice, however.
Nearly three-quarters of Japanese beachgoers said they were “very” or “somewhat” comfortable with beach nudity or women going topless.
The Spanish weren’t far behind, with 74 percent saying they were happy with nudity on the beach.
But only 29 percent of Hong Kong residents accepted naked bathers on holiday, 28 percent in India and 34 percent in Malaysia.
And it’s not all about nude sunbathing.
Brazilians showed they were happy to strut their stuff in miniature swimsuits, with 95 percent saying they were happy to wear a Speedo on the beach.
The Austrians weren’t far behind, with 94 percent happy to don a pair of “budgie smugglers”, followed by 91 percent of Germans and Spaniards.
The least likely to approve of Speedos were Norwegians, with just 40 percent considering it acceptable attire. Americans were more comfortable, with 57 percent saying they were fine with Speedos.
The beach remains one of the most popular holiday choices in the world. The report said more than half (56 percent) of those surveyed had taken a beach holiday in the past year.
Seventy-three percent of those who had taken, or planned to take, a beach holiday said they experienced “personal bliss”.
“The beach is the world’s most popular travel destination by a considerable margin,” said John Morrey, vice-president and general manager of Expedia.com.
“Every year we ask travellers all over the world to tell us their likes and dislikes as they relate to beach behaviour.”
