In the past couple of weeks I've seen the number of Gulf tourists rise in Zurich, but they always seem to be in familiies. Perhaps Zurich attracts a different type of Saudi.

My two cents are that it's to do with the obscene amount of wealth these guys have; the belief that money will get you what you want, and it will get you out of a hole if you get in trouble, so there are no limits to what you can and what you can't do.

You can see this culture of arrogance in the Saudi rich-classes here where a young Saudi Prince is slapping some local, just because he can (forward to about 0.15)

I don't want to pin this on culture as I've friends and acquaintances from every angle of the world, therefore to me, it would be unfair to label a whole country on a few bad eggs. However, I've just watched the related videos and I must say, that they're equally disgusting.

Oh oh... have any of you Geneva-ites seen the following Saudis around town?

ah, I almost forgot, audi is a luxury brand in the USA

too many stereotypes in this thread me thinks....
come on, there's nothing wrong with other cultures.

reminds me of a certain French politician

I am really sorry to hear about women being abused this way. I witnessed it a little bit in Switzerland when I was there (Zurich and Winterthur) but not to the degree at which it is being described on this thread. It was more whistles and chants. I have a sister who is a young adult and it would really make me mad if I saw or heard about her being harrassed like that. Its not ok, regardless from whom it comes from or whatever the motive is.

Forget punching or kicking them in the balls is mace/pepperspray illegal in Switzerland?

Western men DO stand up for their women IF they are around. But Western women routinely go out without being accompanied by husband or brother or father, be it for shopping, eating, entertainment etc .

Most of these Saudi tourists have nothing to do with the wider Royal Family.

The Gulf Arabs (Khaleejis) may not be angels, but their reputation is miles better than the reputation of the Saudis

Oh please... as it should be ! We're allowed to be free as any man without being chaperoned.

Sure, but you can read it in post 59

"" from a similar culture and i know"" "" when their big brother, father or husband comes around. why western men do not stand up for their women in such instances, its above me to argue """

which clearly shows that he believes that women should have father or brother or husband around at any given time, in order to have somebody to "stand up" for the poor women

i know a lot of women (even in this forum) would be pleased to have their men around in such instances, or in any similar unpleasant instance

BUT do NOT have them around as being enroute alone. And quite many are NOT married, but enroute nevertheless.

Umm, an ex of mine once said that he'd let me do the fighting if there was ever a situation where we got into a fight. And it's much more useful for us to do our own fighting because, like others have said, I do not want to live in a world where I can't go out without male accompaniment. BTW, pepper spray may only be available after signing for it and showing a piece of identification but hairspray or breath freshener are pretty unpleasant to get into your eyes as well. AND useful to have in your handbag anyway, you can get mini-bottles pretty much everywhere now.

Is that the sports version- if so that's one of our cars.

So some on this thread trashes the Middle-Easterners and some Middle -Easters trash Swiss hotel rooms.
I have been sexually molested in all countries except the Middle-East. I don't attract attention anymore, but I should have learned earlier to let guys have my wrath when they try it. Gone are the days when women put up with sexual abuse. My daughter has never been molested, but I have no doubt that she would unleash if anyone tried. The guys who try this on women should watch out, fit young women like my daughter work out. Play sparring, my daughter almost knocked me out with a roundhouse to the head. I don't spar with her anymore.

Sure you're not

I never knew that my Middle-eastern side could create such a riot. Well I did really but I like to keep it under my veil most of the time. I suppose that Middle- Easterners going to Geneva is a bit like the Brits invading Benidorm. Unfortunately some Brits are just out for a good time and don't appreciate Spanish culture.
I'm not much for the Spanish beaches- all littered with condoms, puke etc. when you go jogging early morning.

Here's one of the tamer youtube videos!



But these places put up with it for the money- I guess Geneva is much the same, why not move to Montreux? I can recommend a really nice Middle-Eastern restaurant by the lake.

Hasn't anyone heard of the female sex tourism trade- women who go to the Middle East and Jamaica to pick up toy boys? Then again of course there are the Swiss men who like to pick up toyboys. It has never ceased to amaze me how people think they can flash money around and get away with anything.

I`m glad this thread got restarted because there was a serious side to the comments I made and I wasn`t sure why it closed. In any case the harassment of European women is one of the problems but not the only one. as I said before the culture of using imported rental cars to park wherever with impunity, the total disregard for any rules inlcuding leaving cars blocking streets whilst their passengers chat for as long as they like, and so on is equally frustrating for the person living all year here, along with the slavering of hotel managers and restaurant managers alike(although several restaurant owner friends have begun to realise that the problem of getting paid and having to stay open all afternoon to cater to a family is not worth the trouble)
I suggest as it is a subject that some cannot appreciate, a quick trip to Geneva during the fetes would be the best way to understand the problem.

True enough. But as obvious above, there is a "world" where women do NOT go out without male accompaniment but almost always have some male "Anstands-Wauwau" with them

And I know a lot of women who do not have "their" men to have around, who are single and have (gasp!) moved away from their families, who are happy to stand on their own two feet, and who still expect to go as they please in their country and city, and not to be treated like a piece of meat while doing so. Most of them also think tourists, even if they're really really loaded, should respect this. Find that offensive and racist? Tough.

I think in every culture, you have some who brings their ''education'' with them and make a bad reputation for the others.

In Istanbul, the British and australian girls (nannies) give a very bad reputation for the others. So many of them drink like crazy, act like idiots and f**k every guys they meet. After that, all the others expats single women have the reputation to be easy and gets harassed.

Who is to blame? The guys who think it is a cultural thing from those countries to act in a loose manner? Or the girls who act the way they are used in their countries with no respect for where they are now?