2023’s Most Welcoming Places in India Announced: Puducherry named ‘The Most Welcoming Region’ in India followed by Kerala and Rajasthan

• A record 1.36 million travel providers are being recognized for their hospitality with a Traveller Review Award 2023, including 10799 in India. 
• Most Welcoming Regions in India: Puducherry, Kerala, Rajasthan, Goa and Himachal Pradesh are the most welcoming regions in India
• Most Welcoming Cities in India: Palolem (Goa), Agonda (Goa), Mararikulam (Kerala), Hampi (Karnataka) and Khajurao (Madhya Pradesh) are named the most welcoming cities in India
• Manali is the city with the most awarded properties in India followed by Bengaluru and Jaipur
• Hotels are the most-awarded property type in India followed by homestay and guesthouse

• La Rioja (Spain) makes its debut at the very top as Most Welcoming Region on Earth followed by Epirus (Greece) and Oberosterreich (Austria)
• Nearly one in ten accommodation award recipients globally have also been recognized with a Travel Sustainable badge for their efforts to operate more sustainably

INDIA 2 FEBRUARY 2023 - As travel continues to make its return in most parts of the world, leading digital travel brand Booking.com announces the recipients of its eleventh annual Traveller Review Awards, including 2023’s Most Welcoming Places on Earth and in India.  Based on a pool of over 240 million verified customer reviews on Booking.com, the Traveller Review Awards recognizes travel providers from across 220 countries and territories, including India, for their commitment to providing consistently excellent service and hospitality over the course of the year. 

2023’s Most Welcoming Regions and Cities in India 

For 2023, Booking.com has also revealed the Most Welcoming Regions and Cities in India for travellers to experience the best in hospitality and friendliness for a truly memorable travel experience. 

Top 5 Most Welcoming Regions in India in 2023

1. Puducherry
2. Kerala
3. Rajasthan
4. Goa
5. Himachal Pradesh

Top 10 Most Welcoming Cities in India in 2023

1. Palolem (Goa)
2. Agonda (Goa)
3. Mararikulam (Kerala)
4. Hampi (Karnataka)
5. Khajuraho (Madhya Pradesh)
6. Thekkady (Kerala)
7. Jaisalmer (Rajasthan)
8. Bir (Himachal Pradesh)
9. Munnar (Kerala)
10. Varkala (Kerala)

Most Welcoming Accommodation Types in India

Hotels continue to take the top spot as the most-awarded property type in India, with 3888 partners being recognized for their efforts. Homestays claim the second spot with 1509 properties being bestowed, followed by guest houses, resorts and apartments. 

Globally, apartments take the top spot for the sixth year in a row as the most-awarded property type, with a grand total of 629,421 partners being recognized for their efforts followed by holiday homes, hotels, guest houses and bed and breakfast rounding out the top five. 

Amazing staff is the secret to a happy traveller 

When it comes to the different aspects of the stay that Indian travellers valued the most across the properties awarded, warm and friendly staff (8.7) followed by cleanliness (8.6) and comfort (8.6) received the highest score. Location (8.5) of the property continued to hold importance in the minds of the travellers, along with services offered (8.3) and value for money (8.2)

2023’s Most Welcoming Places on Earth

This year’s Most Welcoming Places on Earth, span five continents and feature hidden coastal gems, rural destinations surrounded by breathtaking natural beauty and even a bustling Latin American metropolis, providing travellers with a bucket list inspiration for their future travel. The 2023 Most Welcoming Regions on Earth include La Rioja (Spain), Epirus (Greece), Oberosterreich (Austria), County Down (UK) and Mures (Romania). Booking.com also revealed the top 5 Most Welcoming Cities on Earth which include Polignano a Mare (Italy), Hualien City (Taiwan), San Sebastián (Spain), Dresden (Germany) and Klaipeda (Lithuania). 

When it comes to countries being recognised for the most awards, Italy leads the way again in 2023 with a total of 153,895 accommodation awards followed by Spain (98,788) and France (94,285). In India a total of 10,799 accommodations have been recognized for their efforts in the 2023 edition of the Travellers Review Award. 

Santosh Kumar, Country Manager, India, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Indonesia at Booking.com, commented: "These awards are our way of expressing gratitude to our partner’s hard work in making everyone feel welcomed and going beyond boundaries to make our customers' experiences extraordinary with a personal touch. Our partners have shown immense trust and have time and again shown up for our visitors in multiple ways by demonstrating personalized attention to detail while checking in or offering our assistance to explore the destination like a local. Every trip is made more memorable by our devoted partners, whether it is a warm welcome from the taxi driver at the airport or a thoughtful note left in the room.” 

Note to Editors:

To be recognized with an award, accommodation partners had to have an average review score of 8.0 (out of 10) or higher based on at least 3 reviews, as of 11:59pm (CET) on November 30, 2022. Car rental partners had to have an average review score of 8.5 (out of 10) or higher based on at least 20 reviews, as of 11:59pm (CET) on November 30, 2022. To be recognized with an award, taxi providers had to have an average review score of 4.5 (out of 5) or higher and completed 5,000 rides as of 11:59pm (CET) on November 30, 2022. 

Only customers that have actually stayed at an accommodation, rented a car or rode in a taxi can leave a review of their experience on Booking.com. As these reviews are never edited or adjusted in any way, travelers can reference them for an authentic account of what the real traveler experience is like at every place to stay or with every ground transport provider on Booking.com. 

*Destinations were sorted by the total share of Traveller Review Award 2023 recipients when compared to the total number of eligible properties in that city or region (accommodation only). Destinations also had to have an above-average number of winners to be included on this list (500 award recipients or higher for cities and 500 recipients or higher for regions) and were curated for geographic spread. 

About Booking.com: 

Part of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: BKNG), Booking.com’s mission is to make it easier for everyone to experience the world. By investing in the technology that helps take the friction out of travel, Booking.com’s marketplace seamlessly connects millions of travelers with memorable experiences every day. For more information, follow @bookingcom on social media or visit globalnews.booking.com.