Responses
Maybe it depends on which foreigners they are used to? Like, I'm Brazilian and, even though it's less common at work/professional environments, I can assure you we hug and sometimes kiss the cheek as a greeting (sometimes men don't do it with other men bc toxic masculinity but you can expect at least the Bro Side-Hug) I know someone other countries do it as well, like other Latin American countries, Portugal, Spain, some parts of France, so maybe the thing here is that they're grouping all foreigners together?
Why do Japanese people think Westerners go around hugging and kissing strangers