When you travel to new destinations, the locals you meet there can make or break your trip. Responsible and immersive travel means having an authentic experience focusing on learning about a country's culture. Looking beyond the usual tourist attractions and engaging with the locals can lead to memorable experiences. Furthermore, interacting positively with locals fosters a mutual understanding between local inhabitants and visitors. This adds to the uniqueness of travel experiences.
Preply, a language learning app and e-learning platform, created the list of cities by constructing a ranking that examined six metrics visitor return rates, safety ratings, LGBTQ equality, ease of talking through a shared language, community respect, and overall pleasure. According to the ranking, these are the top 5 friendliest cities in the world.
Toronto, Canada
According to the Community Spirit Index, Toronto and Sydney are tied as the friendliest cities in the world in 2023, both receiving an impressive overall friendliness score of 7.97 out of 10. Toronto has an outstanding visitor return rate of 15 per cent, which suggests that people who visit Toronto enjoy it so much that they return again and again. And for good reason Toronto is an inclusive and inviting environment for everyone, with a happiness score of 7.03 out of 10 and a very high LGBTQ equality score of 90 out of 100.
Sydney, Australia
Sydney ranks first in safety, with a score of 65.87 out of 100, and second in LGBTQ equality, with a score of 84 out of 100. Sydney residents have a contentment score of 7.13 out of 10 and a tourist return rate of 16 per cent, which are higher than in Toronto.
Edinburgh, Scotland
Edinburgh had an overall friendliness score of 7.78. The city's safety index score of 68.92 out of 100 is impressive, placing it first among the top ten countries.
Manchester, UK
Manchester received a 7.72 out of 10 overall rating. The city is noted for its pleasant attitude, with 14.76 per cent of reviews citing the adjective 'friendly," the highest rate of any city analysed. Despite its lower safety index score of 45.09, Manchester's accommodating attitude towards the LGBTQ community (88 out of 100) and visitors' high return rate of 12 per cent make it a popular destination for non-natives.
New York, USA
It is not a surprise that New York had a score of 8.05 on the friendliness scale. We knew New York like the back of our hands long before even setting foot there. Thanks to the films, the books, and the television and OTT series filmed in the city. Brooklyn, Chelsea, Queens, Harlem, the Upper West Side, SoHo, Greenwich Village, The Bronx&mdashthe boroughs and 'hoods' names are easy to remember. As are the famous structures and attractions, the plays, the museums, the pizzas, and the cheesecakes. The city scored a little over 50 in the Community Respect criteria, and the city ranking was 90.
Montreal, Canada
Montreal was the other Canadian city to reach the list, which came in sixth overall. Montreal was a prominent contender due to its scores in community respect, friendly reviews, happiness, and English competence.
Here is the complete top 20 list
Cover photo credit Shutterstock
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