Surprising city that is the only Aussie place to make it onto Booking.com’s 10 most welcoming tourist destinations in the world
- Polignano a Mare in Italy ranked best on Earth
- Australia’s Gold Coast scrapped into 10th spot
An online booking site has revealed the world’s top 10 most welcoming tourist destinations – and only one Australian city has made the cut.
Online travel agency Booking.com released its 2023 Most Welcoming Cities on Earth list on January 24 for keen travellers looking for a friendly escape.
The list, which is released yearly, compiled more than 232million customer reviews of local hotels, hire car companies and airport taxi suppliers.
The Gold Coast ranked 10th on Booking.com’s list of most welcoming cities on earth for 2023 and is the only Australian city listed
The online travel agency labelled the Gold Coast ‘the ultimate playground’ for travellers of all ages (pictured, Warner Bros Movie World at the Gold Coast)
Scraping into the 10th spot was the Gold Coast for its sun, surf, sand and theme parks, making it the ‘ultimate playground for every traveler of any age’.
Booking.com Chief Marketing Officer Arjan Dijk said cities were considered ‘welcoming’ based on the hospitality and effort they showed towards travellers.
‘It’s that personal attention to detail when checking in or sharing helpful recommendations to explore the destination like a local that demonstrates how our partners show up and shine for travellers,’ Mr Dijk said.
‘These awards are our way of thanking them for their dedication to making everyone feel welcome and to going out of their way to create incredible experiences for our customers.
‘Whether it’s a friendly greeting from a taxi driver at the airport, sharing some local driving tips at the car rental counter or a thoughtful note waiting in the room, our passionate partners help make every trip more special.’
Polignano a Mare in Italy (pictured) was ranked the most welcoming on earth. It is the second year in a row that a city in Italy has taken out the top spot
This year’s most welcoming places on Earth spans five continents. Hualien City in Taiwan (pictured) ranked second on the list
Closing out the top three spots was San Sebastian located in the north of Spain
This year’s most welcoming places on Earth spans five continents, with Polignano a Mare in Italy taking top spot, while Taiwan’s Hualien City and Spain’s San Sebastián closed out the top three.
European cities featured on the list with Dresden in Germany, Klaipeda in Lithuania, and York in the United Kingdom taking fourth, fifth and sixth place, respectively.
Seventh and eighth place went to two South American cities – Ushuaia in Argentina and Porto De Galinhas in Brazil, while Mexico City edged above the Gold Coast in ninth place.
The online agency also ranked Australia’s ‘friendliest’ cities – with the coastal town of Port Campbell on the Great Ocean Road in Victoria topping the list.
Port Campbell had a number of 9 out of 10 ratings for accommodation reviews.
The coastal town of Port Campbell along the Great Ocean Rd in Victoria took out the top spot as the most welcoming tourist town in Australia for 2023 (pictured, The Twelve Apostles, Port Campbell, Victoria)
Halls Gap in Victoria made second place for its spectacular hiking views and waterfalls.
In third place was Port Lincoln in South Australia, which is known for its pristine beaches and great white shark cage diving.
Queensland was the most represented with three cities – Toowoomba, Montville and Maleny – ranking fourth, fifth and sixth on the list.
The remaining spots went to two cities in Western Australia and one city in both New South Wales and Tasmania.
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