Those were among the findings of a "global survey" conducted by the online travel company Expedia.com. of Bellevue, Wash. The 4,000 hotel managers who responded to the survey were asked to rank tourists by nationality, and according to such behavioral criteria as manners, willingness to learn the language and try local cuisine, generosity, tidiness, noisiness, fashion sense and propensity to complain.

Americans, the survey found, were very willing to tip and be generous, to try the local food and to absorb the local culture. They ranked near the bottom, however, in noisiness, tidiness, fashion sense -- and they complain a lot. Overall, the hoteliers ranked American tourists as 11th-best in the world.

Japanese tourists were considered the best, mainly because they were judged to be neat and quiet, followed by German and British tourists tied for second place, then Canadian and Swiss travelers.

"We hope the results inspire Americans to keep up their generosity and cultural curiosity and convince them to leave the white tennis shoes and fanny packs at home," said Karyn Thale of Expedia.com.