A study has found that Brits are the most embarrassed holidaymakers about stripping naked at the beach while Spaniards and Germans top the charts when it comes to bearing all.
The research was joint-commissioned by German daily newspaper Bild and tour operator weg.de and compared the views of nudity of Germans with those in the UK, Germany, Italy, Spain and France.
The research, which was carried out by marketing research firm OnePoll, interviewed 5,000 holidaymakers and came to the conclusion that the Spaniards are the most likely to strip nude on holiday.
A total of 61 percent of all Spaniards asked said they could see themselves visiting a nudist beach while on holiday.
The British have the honour of being the most prudish of those interviewed as only 20 percent can imagine getting completely nude during their travels.
Germany – the country where the modern nudist movement is seen as having been invented – scored much higher with 49 percent of those interviewed saying they would like to get naked on holiday.
A total of 42 percent of Germans said they have visited a nudist beach at least once.
Of the Germans, men are more likely to strip naked at a beach with 60 percent of all men saying they could imagine doing so, while for women the number was only 38 percent.
However, Germans remained more sceptical in their openness about the topic, with only 60 percent saying they are open about their love of nudism towards friends and family.
At work the topic is still a taboo, as 60 percent of the Germans refuse to tell their colleagues if they went to a nudist beach or stayed at a nudist campsite.
Germany is the cradle of the modern nudist movement which gained popularity at the turn of the 20th Century.
Called the Freikorperkultur (FKK) in German, the movement’s name translates to ‘Free Body Culture’ with followers being called nudists or naturists.
The idea behind the movement is getting closer to nature and experiencing the outdoors without shame and direct links to sexuality.
The movement was especially popular in communist East Germany, but also gained popularity outside of Germany.
The idea of FKK holidays are very common in Germany, with tour operators offering trip to nudist campsites and hotels, and holidaymakers embarking on nudist bike rides or hikes as well as visiting beaches.
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Story By: Koen Berghuis, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Central European News
