Skyscanner reveals British travellers’ attitudes to bare chests and bikinis
Tuesday 20, July 2010
Following recent news of Barcelona’s campaign to encourage people to dress ‘appropriately’ when out and about enjoying markets, museums and other public buildings, Skyscanner reveals the travelling public’s attitude toward covering up in various locations.
Over 3,000 people voted in the Skyscanner poll which surveyed attitudes towards both men and women wearing swimwear and going topless and shirtless.
Whereas 96% of males thought it was fine for females to go topless on beaches, only 87% of females themselves agreed. When asked about appropriate places for females to wear bikinis, 93% of men and women believed it was ok on the beach but only 31% thought it was appropriate in a bar, cafe or restaurant. For men going shirtless, 98% said it was fine on the beach but only 18% said it was acceptable in a supermarket or bar.
29% of respondents said that they didn’t want to expose their children to topless beach culture and 21% cited fear of overexposure to UV as their reason for avoiding such places. Other reasons given for disapproval of topless bathing included “it causes offence”, “ogling men” and “encourages voyeurism”.
Despite the British being renowned for being reserved, when compared to other European nations, Brits ranked as one of the biggest advocates for topless sunbathing on beaches with 93% in favour. 91% of Italian and 91% of French respondents believed it was ok as did 82% of Swedes. Russians were less keen with only 67% in agreement, but it was the Germans who were the biggest fans with 99% of those surveyed saying that women should be allowed to sunbathe topless.
Benjamín Pérez Ulecia, Skyscanner’s Country Manager for Spain said:
“Whilst most people believe it’s perfectly acceptable to wear a bikini or walk around shirtless on the beach, it’s a different story in a museum, supermarket or restaurant. The most important thing to remember whilst visiting another country is to respect the local customs and culture. You wouldn’t wander around London’s Tate Gallery in a bikini, and Barcelona’s new ‘bikini ban’ campaign is trying to encourage tourists to dress appropriately for the environment they are in.”
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