You Can't Be American ... You're Not Loud

The unfortunate overseas view of American tourists as loud, fat and obnoxious, may have changed for the better, reports say.

CNN has compiled various first-hand and expert opinions, plus surveys, and says that fewer Americans are pretending to be Canadians when visiting other countries, and that the popular impression of U.S. travelers is now overwhelmingly positive.

Almost three quarters of the people in France and two thirds of Britons now have a favorable view of the U.S., compared with 39 percent and just half, respectively, back in 2007.

And in a cring-inducing experiment by ABC, American actors pretending to be tourists in France behaved obnoxiously, but cameras recorded most locals being amused, while the only people outraged were fellow Americans embarrassed by their compatriots.

Best of all, a young American couple traveling said that they were most often greeted with surprise when they revealed their nationality: "How come you are skinny?" the locals would ask, expecting fat tourists. "How come you don't shout?"

The unfortunate overseas view of American tourists as loud, fat and obnoxious, may have changed for the better, reports say.

CNN has compiled various first-hand and expert opinions, plus surveys, and says that fewer Americans are pretending to be Canadians when visiting other countries, and that the popular impression of U.S. travelers is now overwhelmingly positive.

Almost three quarters of the people in France and two thirds of Britons now have a favorable view of the U.S., compared with 39 percent and just half, respectively, back in 2007.

And in a cring-inducing experiment by ABC, American actors pretending to be tourists in France behaved obnoxiously, but cameras recorded most locals being amused, while the only people outraged were fellow Americans embarrassed by their compatriots.

Best of all, a young American couple traveling said that they were most often greeted with surprise when they revealed their nationality: "How come you are skinny?" the locals would ask, expecting fat tourists. "How come you don't shout?"