Don't mention the war to a Mexican. Do remember a smiling Japanese person is not necessarily happy – and always be careful how you pour wine for an Argentinian.
Other official tips for providing a warm welcome for overseas visitors to Britain include not winking at a visitor from Hong Kong, but being tolerant of Indian tourists if they appear impolite, noisy or impatient. And never, ever, call a Canadian an American.
This is not the new Foreign Office advice for David Cameron whose approach to diplomacy caused international outrage last month, but a collection of helpful hints from the government-funded national tourism agency VisitBritain on how to treat those travelling to the UK in the runup to the 2012 Olympics.
The online guidance also indicates that in some parts of the world Cool Britannia conjures quite a different image to the cutting-edge cultural hub Tony Blair liked to evoke. Potential visitors see the UK as expensive with rotten weather; its citizens considered standoffish.
The cultural dos and don'ts have been drawn up by the organisation's staff in its 35 offices worldwide, and are included in country profiles produced by VisitBritain. They aim to help increase the UK's 30 million overseas visitors who spend £16.5bn annually.
Curiously, the online compendium does not advise Brits to be wary of mentioning the war to German tourists. Instead it suggests trying to speak a little of their language, giving insider knowledge not in the guidebooks and showing care for the environment, for instance, by not offering prepackaged jam at breakfast.
For Mexican visitors, however, it is best not to mention their nation's 1840s' war with the US, poverty or illegal aliens. Instead talk about Mexican culture, history, art and museums.
For South Africans, traffic lights are called robots, "takkies" are trainers and placing your thumb between your forefinger and second finger and pointing it at someone is an obscene gesture, the guide advises.
According to the section on the United Arab Emirates, "Arabs can take offence very easily and are not used to being told what they can't do." It helpfully adds that it is "culturally insensitive" to offer a half-bottle of wine on the table d'hôte menu.
It is the way the wine is poured that matters for Argentinians: pouring it into a glass backwards indicates hostility. Avoid the subject of Las Malvinas, but do not be surprised at being joshed about your clothing or weight.
Indians may seem noisy and impatient, but "some of these behaviours are as a result of living in chaotic cities".
Sandy Dawe, chief executive of VisitBritain, said that with hundreds of thousands of people thinking of travelling in the runup to the Olympic and Paralympic games, "giving our foreign visitors a friendly welcome is absolutely vital to our economy".
The view from....
Johannesburg
Nechama Brodie, author of the guide Inside Joburg, said: "Trying to capture South Africa, and South Africans, as it is now, in a nutshell of 'robots', 'takkies' and 'braai' is a bit like encouraging people to sing Spice Girl lyrics to their English visitors to make them feel at home.
"You could probably ask any South African, in a social situation, rather than a business meeting or randomly on the street, what the 'thumb placed between the forefinger and second finger' is all about, and I'd wager at least half the time the South African would laugh, explain, and then go on to teach you at least three different ways to swear in his or her own languages.
Andy Kasrils, a film maker and DJ, said: "I'd also advise British people to be patient with South Africans when they say 'I'll be with you just now.' That means anything up to four hours. 'I'll be with you now now,' means anything up to an hour and 'I'll be with you right now' means anything less than 30 minutes.
"I also ask that you take South African names seriously. It is Zulu tradition that a baby can be named after a significant event that happened at the time of birth. Since June there have been children born with such wonderful names as 'Vuvuzela Mhlongo'. 'Red Card Mbatha' and my favourite: 'Park 'n' Ride Khumalo', named after the Fifa World Cup transport system."
Mexico City
"It isn't that I would really get offended because you understand different cultures do things differently," said Virginia Cadena. "But here the palm facing down gesture is what people use to show the size of their dogs, not their children.
"I don't mind talking about bad stuff, but I would rather they asked me about our traditions and culture. The things that are good about Mexico."Humberto Vargas, a driver waiting for his boss to finish lunch, considered whether there really was a taboo on talking about poverty. Neither he, nor most in Mexico, could afford to go to London for the Olympics. "I wouldn't have a problem talking about it, but I'm never going to be there. Still if I were, I would prefer to talk about Mexican food."
The mid 19th century conflict in which Mexico lost half its territory? "It was a long time ago," he said. "I don't think people care about that anymore."
London
A Canadian woman outside her country's High Commission said: "I would say more Americans wear maple leaves so they look like Canadians – they want to be seen as Canadians when they're abroad. It's not an insult for Canadians to be confused with Americans any more though. Two years ago it would have been insulting, but not so much now – because the Bush administration is out."
David Smith, Jo Tuckman and Adam Gabbatt
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