PLYMOUTH, Minn., June 29, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Selfie stick
bans at major attractions, tourist behaving badly and "seat sprawl"
on airlines have all created waves in the news media recently. In
fact, earlier this month, four Western tourists were fined and
released from prison in Malaysia
after being convicted of posing naked for photos atop a sacred
mountain – similar incidents with tourist have occurred in
Cambodia and Peru. In a
recent survey, Travel Leaders Group asked Americans how they
would handle certain uncomfortable – yet fairly common – travel
dilemmas such as "seat sprawl," the "knee defender" and arm rest
hogs on airplanes, as well as banned selfie sticks, tourists
defacing major attractions and sightseers snapping photos where
they are prohibited. The survey was conducted by Travel Leaders
Group – a $20 billion powerhouse in
the travel industry – from April 3 to April
30, 2015, and includes responses from 3,371 consumers
throughout the United States.
"With shrinking airline seat space and planes flying at full
capacity, it's not surprising over 76% of those polled would take
some sort of action if the person in front of them reclined their
seat all the way back. Yet 52.6% of respondents said they
would not use the 'knee defender' given the opportunity,"
stated Barry Liben, CEO of Travel
Leaders Group. "For three straight years, we've asked consumers
these types of questions. We want to help identify potential
scenarios and have travelers think about how they would react
before they encounter these situations. We encourage
travelers take action, particularly in situations where tourists
are demonstrating poor behavior by damaging major artifacts or
skirting rules and regulations. Travelers should know they
can always go to official personnel – be it security guards or
flight attendants – if they don't want to confront someone
directly."
SELFIE STICKS:
Selfie sticks are being banned at some very popular tourist
attractions, such as Rome's
Colosseum, the Palace of Versailles, the Smithsonian and on Disney
World rides. When asked, "If you knew it was
prohibited and you saw another tourist taking photos with a selfie
stick, what would you do?" the responses were:
Say something
directly to the person.
|
8.9%
|
Tell a security guard
or official personnel.
|
31.2%
|
Say
nothing.
|
33.7%
|
Not sure.
|
26.2%
|
In turn, when asked, "If you were taking photos in a
location that banned selfie sticks, what would you do?" the
responses were:
I don't own a selfie
stick, so it's not a problem.
|
78.5%
|
I'd still try to use
my selfie stick and hope not to get caught.
|
0.5%
|
I'd abide by the
rules and not use my selfie stick.
|
18.8%
|
Not sure.
|
2.3%
|
BANNED PHOTOS:
When asked, "Have you ever taken photos at a location,
destination or exhibit that strictly prohibited all photos (such as
the Sistine Chapel, England's
Crown Jewels, certain Japanese temples, etc.)?" the responses
were:
Yes, I secretly took
a photo when no one was looking.
|
10.1%
|
No, but I really
wanted to sneak a photo.
|
18.2%
|
No, I've never done
that.
|
71.7%
|
Also, tourists have been arrested, fined, and/or deported for
taking nude photos of atop a sacred mountain in Malaysia and at a temple inside Cambodia's Angkor complex. In addition,
Machu Picchu, in Peru, has dealt
with nude tourism incidents. When asked, "If
you were visiting a popular tourist destination and witnessed other
visitors behaving badly in this manner, what would you do?"
the responses were:
Say something
directly to the person.
|
7.2%
|
Tell a security guard
or official personnel.
|
65.6%
|
Say
nothing.
|
11.2%
|
Not sure.
|
16.1%
|
DEFACING or DESTROYING MAJOR ATTRACTIONS:
Tourists at Rome's Colosseum
were caught carving initials into the ancient site. Also, two
tourists in Italy recently broke a
piece off a historic statue while climbing it to take a
picture.
When asked, "If you were at a major tourist attraction
and saw another visitor damaging the attraction (by carving their
initials into it, walking off-path and trampling sensitive
vegetation, breaking off a piece to take home as a souvenir), what
would you do? the responses were:
Say something
directly to the person.
|
14.6%
|
Tell a security guard
or official personnel.
|
72.5%
|
Say
nothing.
|
4.2%
|
Not sure.
|
8.7%
|
AIRLINE ETIQUETTE – Seat Sprawl, Arm Rests, Reclining
Seats:
When asked, "If you encountered 'seat sprawl' (where
the person next to you on an airplane clearly is too large
for their seat and invades what little space you have) on an
airplane, what would you do?" the responses were:
Say something
directly to your seatmates.
|
4.5%
|
Call a flight
attendant and let him/her handle the situation.
|
9.3%
|
Call a flight
attendant and ask if you can be reseated elsewhere on the
plane.
|
58.1%
|
Sit quietly and say
nothing.
|
17.4%
|
Not sure.
|
10.7%
|
To see the full results of the survey, including the
following questions, go here.
- On an airplane, who should get the armrests in the middle?
- If the person behind you on a plane kept you from reclining,
what would you do?
- If someone gave you a "knee defender," would you use it?"
- "If the person behind you used the "knee defender" on your
airplane seat, what would you do?"
Contact:
|
Steve
Loucks
|
Kathy
Gerhardt
|
|
763-744-3797
|
763-744-3710
|
|
sloucks@travelleaders.com
|
kgerhardt@travelleaders.com
|
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SOURCE Travel Leaders Group