TripAdvisor Survey Reveals Americans Are Among World's Top Tippers

99 Percent of U.S. Respondents Tip on Vacation; 57 Percent Always Do and 21 Percent Feel Guilty if They Don't

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May 29, 2013, 06:00 ET

NEWTON, Mass., May 29, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- TripAdvisor^®, the world's largest travel site*, today announced the results of its tipping survey of more than 9,000 respondents of which 1,600 are in the U.S. According to the survey, 99 percent of Americans tip on vacation and of the group, 57 percent always do while traveling, compared to the average of 43 percent who always tip among seven other countries.

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Americans are Likely to Leave a Tip

We asked travelers in local markets around the world how likely they are to tip on trips. Below are statistics on how often travelers from each country surveyed always tip while on vacation¹:

Germans – 69%
Americans – 57%
Russians – 53%
Brazilians – 40%
French – 39%
Brits – 39%
Spanish – 36%
Italians – 23%

¹TripAdvisor surveyed respondents in eight countries across the globe: U.S., U.K., France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Russia, and Brazil.

U.S. Tipping Trends

The greatest amount of U.S. respondents (59 percent) tip on vacation when staff go the extra mile.

When asked what encourages travelers to leave a tip at a hotel or restaurant, travelers cited the following factors as the primary reasons to compensate staff:

Hotel Stay	Restaurant Visit
1. Helpfulness of service	1. Friendliness of service
2. Friendliness of service	2. Politeness of service
3. Politeness of service	3. Helpfulness of service

Tips on Tipping

When traveling to other countries, only 16 percent of U.S. respondents said they always feel they are informed on how much to leave.

To better their knowledge of tipping abroad:

73% reference travel guides
48% read online reviews
46% check online forums
35% ask friends or family who have visited the country
26% get the lowdown from the locals

Tools for Tipping

To calculate the gratuity, mental math trumps technology:

85% calculate the tip in their head
18% use their smartphone
7% carry a tip conversion sheet

Tipping Troubles

Sixteen percent of U.S. respondents report they have been asked to leave a tip by staff, nine percent cite they have been confronted about the tip, and three percent admit that a tipping situation has ruined their vacation.

"Tipping is a cultural norm in the States and U.S. travelers have a tendency to take their customs on the road whether they are on American soil or traveling abroad," said Brooke Ferencsik, director of communications at TripAdvisor.

About TripAdvisor
TripAdvisor^® is the world's largest travel site*, enabling travelers to plan and have the perfect trip. TripAdvisor offers trusted advice from real travelers and a wide variety of travel choices and planning features with seamless links to booking tools. TripAdvisor branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world, with more than 200 million unique monthly visitors**, and over 100 million reviews and opinions covering more than 2.5 million accommodations, restaurants and attractions. The sites operate in 30 countries worldwide, including China under daodao.com. TripAdvisor also includes TripAdvisor for Business, a dedicated division that provides the tourism industry access to millions of monthly TripAdvisor visitors.

TripAdvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRIP) manages and operates websites under 20 other travel media brands: www.airfarewatchdog.com, www.bookingbuddy.com, www.cruisecritic.com, www.everytrail.com, www.familyvacationcritic.com, www.flipkey.com, www.holidaylettings.co.uk, www.holidaywatchdog.com, www.independenttraveler.com, www.jetsetter.com, www.niumba.com, www.onetime.com,www.seatguru.com, www.sniqueaway.com, www.smartertravel.com, www.tingo.com, www.travelpod.com, www.virtualtourist.com, www.whereivebeen.com, and www.kuxun.cn.