Drawing upon more than 232 million verified reviews from real travelers, the leading digital travel platform Booking.com announces the recipients of its tenth annual Traveller Review Awards, including the 2022 Most Welcoming Places on Earth. A total of 1,261,273 accommodation providers, car rental locations and pre-booked taxi providers in 220 countries and territories around the world are being recognized with a Traveller Review Award 2022, including 43,525 in the United States. In terms of places to stay, Italy leads the pack with the most accommodations being recognized with a 2022 award (162,272), followed by Spain (93,130), France (89,186), Croatia (58,630), Germany (69,702), Russia (59,661), the United Kingdom (53,623), Brazil (46,928), the United States (43,417) and Australia (18,663) to round out the top ten. The United States is ninth on the list with 43,417 of accommodations being recognized with a 2022 award.

Travelers continue to favor apartments and unique stays

For the fifth year in a row, apartments take the top spot in the Traveller Review Awards 2022 as the most-awarded property type globally, with 561,843 partners being recognized for their efforts. Hotels take the second spot with 172,530 properties being honored, followed by holiday homes (148,962), guest houses (98,466) and B&Bs (79,859). When it comes to homes, apartments and other unique places to stay, Italy leads with the most properties being recognized with an award (144,658), with Spain (83,654), France (79,278), Croatia (57,629) and Germany (56,977) rounding out the top five. 

Warm and welcoming staff make the difference

When diving into the individual aspects of their stays that guests valued most at the 1,259,594 properties receiving a Traveller Review Award 2022, staff (9.0) cleanliness (8.9) and location (8.9) received the highest average marks globally. This is well above other aspects evaluated, such as facilities (8.6) or value for money (8.5), demonstrating the importance of those welcoming, friendly interactions during the stay, as well as health and hygiene in light of the evolving status of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Transport providers in the spotlight

For the third year in a row, rental car and airport taxi providers are also being recognized for their excellent service and smooth travel experiences, including 1,628 rental car pick-up locations across 160 countries worldwide. Spain leads with 220 rental car pick-up locations receiving a 2022 award, followed by Italy (177), France (141), the United States (108) and Australia (98). This year, 7,091 airport taxi drivers across 51 taxi providers, spanning 1,400 cities globally are also being honored with an award.

Arjan Dijk, SVP and Chief Marketing Officer for Booking.com, commented: “As the travel industry has remained vigilant and flexible in light of the continued uncertainty and travel restrictions we’ve seen over the course of the past year, the passion and dedication of our partners to create safe and welcoming travel experiences for everyone all over the world has continued to shine through. Looking towards the future with renewed optimism and hope, with these awards we recognize the incredible hospitality our partners deliver to travelers each and every day and thank them for their amazing devotion as we continue to rebuild together.”

2022’s Most Welcoming Places On Earth*

From iconic architectural wonders to pristine natural beauty, the 2022 Most Welcoming Places on Earth span the globe and offer travelers a range of memorable travel experiences. As the backdrop for blockbuster films and with its iconic carved cave structures honored as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the southern Italian marvel of Matera tops this year’s list of the 2022 Most Welcoming Cities in the World. The 2022 list also includes two honorees previously recognized in 2020: Taitung City in Taiwan and Monte Verde in Brazil.

2022 Most Welcoming Cities on Earth

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

To find out more about these destinations, click here.

The 2022 Most Welcoming Regions span six continents and include Taitung County (Taiwan), Tasmania (Australia) and Nova Scotia (Canada) for the second year in a row.

2022 Most Welcoming Regions in Earth

1. Gorenjska (Slovenia)
2. Taitung County (Taiwan)
3. Tasmania (Australia)
4. Burgenland (Austria)
5. Seychelles
6. Canterbury (New Zealand)
7. Santa Cruz (Argentina)
8. Nova Scotia (Canada)
9. Limón (Costa Rica)
10. La Rioja (Spain)