Matera is the most welcoming place on Earth

The European South is well represented in this Booking.com ranking

The leading digital travel and accommodation platform Booking.com announced last week the recipients of its tenth annual Traveller Review Awards. This included a top 10 ranking of the Most Welcoming Places on Earth for 2022 – and the winner is the town of Matera, in the south of Italy.

The architectural jewel, recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site due to its distinctive landscape and traditional cave dwellings, has also impressed visitors with the attitude of its people.

Six out of the top 10 are towns in Europe

Booking.com has taken into consideration 232 million verified reviews by real travellers on the basis of which the rankings are drawn up. In that sense, the collective voice of the travellers has been heard and the southern countries of Europe, traditionally known as tourism powerhouses, have also been affirmed as cosy and welcoming destinations based on the services delivered by the accommodation establishments and transport providers there.

The 2022 Most Welcoming Cities on Earth are:

1. Matera (Italy)
2. Bled (Slovenia)
3. Taitung City (Taiwan)
4. Nafplio (Greece)
5. Toledo (Spain)
6. Monte Verde (Brazil)
7. Bruges (Belgium)
8. Nusa Lembongan (Indonesia)
9. Ponta Delgada (Azores, Portugal)
10. Hoi An (Vietnam)

From the ranking, it is visible that European holiday destinations have nearly monopolized the top positions.

The country of Slovenia actually has a double reason to rejoice because not only one of its premier tourist attractions, Bled, has been placed second, but the overall region in which the eponymous lake and town are located – Gorenjska (traditionally known as Upper Carniola) – was actually ranked first in a separate classification of the Most Welcoming Regions on Earth.

TheMayor.EU recently also shone the light on that region presenting its unbridled potential for a variety of tourism markets. Clearly, Bled and Upper Carniola are getting established as places not to be missed by the discerning traveller.

Burgenland (Austria) and La Rioja (Spain) are the other European representatives that made it into the top 10 of welcoming regions, placing 4^th and 10^th respectively.

Overall, it is clear that the Mediterranean countries in Europe are snatching the highest marks in terms of satisfaction from their visitors. Among the things that accommodation properties’ guests appreciated the most were the friendly staff, the cleanliness and the location.

Spanish rental car providers and airport taxi services grabbed the top spot in their category, followed by those in Italy and France.