Saturday, January 12, 2019
Booking.com, one of the world’s leading digital travel platforms, today revealed the top 10 most welcoming places in India according to its 2018 Guest Review Awards survey data. Kerala has topped the list in India as one of the ‘Most Welcoming Places’ in India. Five of the popular destinations from ‘God’s Own Country’ Varkala, Cochin, Thekkady, Alleppey and Munnar were featured among the list of top ten places in India.
The awards also highlighted that resorts (23%) were the most welcoming accomodation types in India followed by homestay (20%), guest houses (12%), hotels (11%) and apartments (11%).
For the seventh annual edition of the awards, 759,845 properties in total across 219 countries and territories were given an award, with the top countries receiving the most awards being Italy (106,513), Spain (46,646) and France (45,286). India (6,125) ranked ahead of Switzerland (6,002), Taiwan (5,212), Belgium (5,108) & China (4,996) in terms of the number of properties being honored with awards. A total of 6,125 accommodation providers from India were recognized as a part of these awards.
“No matter the type, size or location of the property, what we see from our customers is that they value a human connection when they travel, whether it’s some extra attention to detail or a truly individualized approach to service,” said Ritu Mehrotra, Country Manager India, Sri Lanka & Maldives at Booking.com. “With these awards, we celebrate and thank all of the amazing accommodation partners who create special travel experiences for our customers on a daily basis.” she added.
Most welcoming places on Earth
Based on the share of properties receiving an award in 2018, for the first time ever Booking.com reveals the most welcoming places on Earth according to customer reviews. With the highest percentages of total eligible properties winning awards, India ranks as the 29th most welcoming country on the planet ahead of Switzerland (30th), China (40th) and Malaysia (45th)* Within India, the most welcoming destinations are Varkala (Kerala), Cochin (Kerala) & Jaisalmer (Rajasthan).** This is especially relevant for the 84% of Indian travellers who feel that friendly and interesting locals are one of their top considerations when selecting a destination for their next trip***.
Most Welcoming Destinations 2018
| INDIA | GLOBAL |
| Varkala (Kerala) | Goreme (Turkey) |
| Cochin (Kerala) | Slunj (Croatia) |
| Jaisalmer (Rajasthan) | Eluanbi (Taiwan) |
| Thekkady (Kerala) | Niagara-on-the-Lake (Canada) |
| Jodhpur (Rajasthan) | Lake Tekapo (New Zealand) |
| Alleppey (Kerala) | Bendigo (Australia) |
| Puducherry (Tamil Nadu) | Newport (United States) |
| Munnar (Kerala) | Nozawa Onsen (Japan) |
| Udaipur (Rajasthan) | Fernando de Noronha (Brazil) |
| Agra (Uttar Pradesh) | El Chalten (Argentina) |
Tags: booking.com, India, kerala, Most Welcoming Place
