Expedia survey about nude beachgoers

[biobruin89]

USA Today, July 13, 2014:

"Beach goers around the world don't get too bothered by public nudity and speedos. But they do break a sweat when it comes to ta possible shark attack.

That's according to Expedia's annual Flip Flop report to be released tomorrow. The study, commissioned by the online travel agency and conducted online by research firm Northstar, gauged the behaviors and preferences of 11,165 adults across 24 countries in five continents.

For the third consecutive year, Germans were the most likely to sunbathe fully nude, with 28% saying they have spent a day at the beach in the buff. But for the first time this year, Austrians tied them.

Worldwide, more men than women prefer to sunbathe nude.

Women, especially Europeans, were more likely to go topless. Nearly half of Austrians — 49% -- were likely to sunbathe topless. Spaniards and Germans followed closely behind.

The most modest beach goers were from Asia. Only 2% of Japanese, 3% of South Korean and 4% of Thai beach goers said they have sunbathed nude. Being modest didn't translate into being uncomfortable with the practice, however. Nearly three-quarters of Japanese beach goers said they were "very" or "somewhat" comfortable with beach nudity or female toplessness. Residents of Hong Kong, India and Malaysia said they were the least comfortable with it.

The beach is one of the most popular travel destinations in the world. More than half — 56% -- of those surveyed said they have taken a beach vacation in the past year. And 73% of those who have taken, or plan to take, a beach vacation said they had reached personal bliss as a result.

"The beach is the world's most popular travel destination by a considerable margin," John Morrey, vice president and general manager of Expedia.com, said in a written statement. "So every year we ask travelers all over the world to tell us their likes and dislikes as they relate to beach behavior. In response, we can offer travelers the recommendations that best suit their preferences."

Among the other findings:

Speedos are acceptable attire to nearly three-quarters of beach goers worldwide. A full 95% of Brazilians approve of the skimpy swimwear. Austrians, Germans and Spaniards were nearly as accepting. The least likely to approve of speedos were Norwegians, with just 40% considering it acceptable attire. As for Americans, 57% were fine with speedos.

More than half of the world's beach goers would "never" post a photo of themselves in swimwear, whether it be a speedo or a one-piece.
Sleeping was the top beach indulgence, with 46% of respondents saying that they like to sleep in or nap while on a beach vacation. Taking a beach holiday also sparks romance. Almost 40% of the world's beach goers said they enjoy getting intimate with a partner while vacationing on a beach.

Sharks breed anxiety among beach goers, with 44% of respondents saying they fear an attack. Those from Brazil, Hong Kong and Malaysia were the most fearful of sharks. Half of beach goers said they are afraid to swim at the beach because of sharks. Still, that didn't stop 35% of them from conquering that fear and getting into the water."

http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/destinations/dispatches/2014/07/13/expedia-survey-beaches-nudity-topless-sharks/12532249/

[Gman707]

Interesting statistics.  Interesting about japan. They have a tradition of public nudity in onsen bath houses so im  not surprised they are the most tollerent to the idea in asia but I would have expected mre to have tried it in a weired way. I would have also probably guessed that spain or france would have been top for topless sun bathing too. Interesting that Austria is the highest. ..

[Leah]

On  a proportion of hours spent in a country I think I have spent more naked hours in Austria than any other country.

[wiener]

There may be some connection to the size of the country too. Austria is quite small country.
But it's true, we do not have any seaside, but even in the capital Vienna there is 8 km long official naturist beach:
https://www.wien.gv.at/umwelt/wasserbau/donauinsel/freizeit/fkk.html
and besides this, there are also some lakes in the city and in the forest (nature reserve area) where many people sunbath and swim naked.
Also many lakes at the countryside.