Marlborough has been voted one of the world’s most welcoming regions, as the recipients of the 11th annual Booking.com Traveller Review Awards have been announced.
Coming in sixth overall, Marlborough is the only region in the southern hemisphere to make the list, and ranked ahead of locations in Vietnam, Costa Rica, Canada, and the United States of America.
The awards are based on reviews from more than 240 Million verified customers of the platform. More than 1.3 million places of accommodation, 230 car rental providers, and 58 airport taxi services were awarded in this year’s list, including 7,307 from New Zealand.
Regional Director of Partner Services APAC, Nuno Guerriero said that the open borders and welcoming nature were reasons New Zealand was so successful.
“It’s that personal attention to detail when checking in or sharing helpful recommendations to explore the destination like a local that demonstrates how our partners show up and shine for travellers in a multitude of ways each and every day. These awards are our way of thanking them for their dedication to making everyone feel welcome and to going out of their way to create incredible experiences for our customers.”
Taking of the top spot as the worlds most welcoming region this year is La Rioja, a Spanish wine region known for its landscape and climate, followed by Epirus, a north-western region in Greece, and Oberosterreich, a state in Northern Austria.
The top ten most welcoming towns in New Zealand have also been named, with Lake Tekapo officially the countries friendliest. Invercargill came in second, and Hokitika is third.
Guerriero also noted that this result is a reflection of the hard work put into customer experience.
“Whether it’s a friendly greeting from a taxi driver at the airport, sharing some local driving tips at the car rental counter or a thoughtful note waiting in the room, our passionate partners help make every trip more special.”
Almost one in every ten accommodation award recipients have been awarded a Travel Sustainable badge, for recognition of their commitment to sustainable accommodation. Fifteen percent of this years winners were Travel Sustainable locations, the highest share for hotels.
