American tourists are big tippers, Italians are the least liked and, as for us South Africans, our local safari operators think we are lekker funny. A survey of more than 400 tour operators in East and Southern Africa has found Americans are the most-loved tourists - friendly and the best tippers.However, at the other end of the scale, Italians were voted the least popular. More than 18% of operators found them annoying or very annoying, saying they were rude, unpunctual and often do not follow a guide's instructions. But they are nonetheless "easy going".The survey was conducted by SafariBookings.com, an online booking site for African safaris.The findings surprised the researchers. Jeroen Beekwilder said initial research had suggested Americans were not the most popular."One of the main reasons they are liked is that they are more used to tipping. They tip between 15% and 20%, even if they are not satisfied with the service they tip 10%. In Europe it's 5% to 10%," said Beekwilder.South Africans didn't fare too well on the survey. Local operators like them the least, but they are a "good laugh" and fun to be with.The survey also revealed the Dutch are the worst tippers, Brazilians are notoriously late and Germans the most punctual.The British are hard to please, but are held in high regard by tour guides, who find them polite and always on time.Safari operators in East Africa preferred American tourists, while in Southern Africa, the Brits and Canadians came out on top.The survey found English-speakers scored better. "We suspect this is because they are easier to communicate with because this is the language the operators are using. This could be why the Italians didn't do so well."More info on www.safaribookings.com..