A record number of British tourists are being arrested abroad, despite warnings about the dangers of drinking too much and avoiding risks, new figures show.

In the 10 countries with the highest incidence of consular assistance being required, there were nearly 5000 arrests of British nationals in the last financial year, compared to 4018 in 2005/6, according to figures from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO).

Incidents of tourists and other British nationals requiring hospital treatment continued to be a problem, with more than 2500 cases last year in the same group, though this figure represents a similar proportion of tourists to the previous year.

Health experts said the latest figures showed that Britain was continuing to export a culture of binge drinking and that tourists were taking more risks than they would do at home.

The FCO, which has run a series of information campaigns targeting British holiday makers, also warned that, as economic conditions are worsening, tourists are less likely to buy comprehensive travel insurance, leaving them more exposed if things do go wrong. In a survey of travellers' attitudes published by the FCO, one-quarter of travellers in Scotland said they planned to get the cheapest possible travel insurance in order to cut costs.

The same survey discovered that nearly one-quarter of tourists admitted to taking more risks while abroad, such as being laid-back with their belongings or not considering local laws.

The FCO figures show a marked difference in the likelihood of trouble in different countries. In Spain, which is still by far the most popular destination for British tourists, attracting 17 million visitors a year, there has been a 33% increase in arrests, with 2032 British nationals being picked up by police in the last financial year.

Spain, which also has an expat population of 678,000 Britons, also saw 695 hospitalisations and 1591 deaths of British nationals.

In France, Britain's second most popular tourist destination, attracting 14.8 million visitors, there was a fraction of the trouble, with only 153 British nationals arrested last year.

However, Greece, though still attracting a relatively high number of arrests and hospitalisations compared to countries such as Italy and Germany, had less as a proportion of visitor numbers in 2007/8 compared to the year before.

The Association of British Travel Agents (Abta) said this was down to a concerted effort by tour operators, together with local tourist officials and police in combating unruly behaviour.

The United Arab Emirates also emerged among the top 10 countries where consular assistance was required for the first time, with 230 people being arrested last year.

Jess Prasad, who has headed up the Know Before You Go information campaign at the Foreign Office, warned that travellers in the UAE capital of Dubai were getting arrested as a result of a crackdown on drug possession by police. "The police have clamped down in terms of catching people possessing even a minuscule amount drugs at the airport. This not only affects tourists to Dubai as it is a popular transit airport for people passing through."

Professor Mark Bellis, director of the Centre for Public Health at Liverpool John Moores University, who has studied British tourists' behaviour, said there was more to be done to promote responsible behaviour abroad.

"I would say there is comprehensive evidence that the amount that young British people drink when abroad is over what they would at home and at a level that would potentially cause dangers to their health. In addition, they may not be familiar with the support services around them, they don't know where to go and haven't got friends and family in the same way they would at home," he said.

However, Sean Tipton, spokesman for Abta, said that tour operators had been proactive when it came to promoting safety among British travellers, and said that many of the problems were caused by irresponsible bar owners.

He also praised resorts such as Faliraki, in Greece, which he said was "unrecognisable" when set against the reputation for drunkenness it suffered five years ago. "It's now a family friendly, well-run resort which is youth friendly," he said.