New Delhi: Kerala has once again topped the chart of ‘Most Welcoming Region’ in India, followed by Goa and Puducherry, according to a survey conducted by the travel platform Booking.com.
Based on over 232 million verified reviews from travellers, the digital travel platform announced its recipients of the 10th annual Traveller Review Awards, including the 2022 Most Welcoming Places on Earth.
In the category of ‘Most Welcoming Region’ in India, Kerala has taken the first position for the fourth time, followed by Goa and Puducherry. Among the ‘Most Welcoming Cities’ in India, the top five cities are Palolem, Agonda, Mararikulam, Thekkady and Varkala.
The awards also projected the hotels as the most welcoming accommodation type by Indians followed by homestay, resort, guesthouse and apartments.
2022's Most Welcoming Cities and Regions in India
While Kerala, Goa and Puducherry bagged the three top positions in the ‘Most Welcoming Regions’ in India, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh also made place among the top five in the chart. On the other hand, based on the level of hospitality, friendliness and safety of the places, the top five cities under the category of ‘Most Welcoming Cities’ in India are Palolem (Goa), Agonda (Goa), Mararikulam (Kerala), Thekkady (Kerala) and Varkala (Kerala).
Most Welcoming Accommodation Types in India
Under this category of the 10th annual Traveller Review Awards, based on certain pointers such as hospitality, cleanliness, location and safety, as reviewed by the guests, Indian hotels have topped the list with 3,644 partners having been recognised for their efforts, followed by homestays with 1,141 properties being identified, and then resorts, guest houses and apartments.
According to Ritu Mehrotra, Regional Manager, South Asia at Booking.com, as quoted by news agency IANS, “As travel dynamics continue to change, it's heartening to see the love travellers have expressed for the destinations as recognized by Booking.com's Traveller Review Awards 2022. The travel industry has continued to remain vigilant and flexible in light of the uncertainty and travel restrictions, and we acknowledge the passion and dedication of our partners in creating safe and welcoming travel experiences, enabling travellers in having beautiful experiences our world has to offer.”
“As we navigate through the current travel environment, we are looking towards the future with renewed optimism and hope, and with these awards, we recognize the incredible hospitality our partners deliver to travellers each and every day and thank them for their amazing devotion as we continue to rebuild together,” Mehrotra further said.
2022's Most Welcoming Places on Earth
Under this category, the first three positions have been taken by Matera (Italy), Bled (Slovenia) and Taitung City (Taiwan). In terms of living accommodations, Italy has topped the chart with 162,272 properties having been honoured by the award, followed by Spain (93,130) and France (89,186).
As per the survey, India with 9,062 properties ranked ahead of Colombia (8082), New Zealand (7355), Taiwan (7350), and Chile (7267).