Kerala named ‘The Most Welcoming Region in India ’ for the third year in a row followed by Rajasthan
Booking.com reveals India’s Top 5 Most Welcoming Regions according to its Traveller Review Awards 2021
In a year where the travel industry faced unparalleled challenges, Booking.com, the platform making it easier for everyone to experience the world, drew on millions of customer reviews and presented the ninth Traveller Review Awards 2021 to recognize partners across the globe for their dedication and resilience to provide incredible travel experiences. With so many incredible winners to highlight, including 7366 in India, Booking.com is uncovering the key attributes of a great stay, the most welcoming regions on Earth, and the incredibly diverse offerings from our partners that can proudly display a Traveller Review Award in 2021.
Booking.com today revealed the top five most welcoming regions in India according to its Traveller Review Awards 2021. Kerala has topped the list in India once again as the ‘Most Welcoming Region’ in India followed by Rajasthan. Palolem, Agonda, Mararikulam, Jaisalmer and Thekkady are the top five most welcoming cities in India. The awards further highlights - resort, homestay, guest house and apartment to be among the most welcoming accommodation types for travellers in India after hotels.
The top 3 countries with the most number of winners this year include Italy (151801) followed by Spain (81341) and France (77687). India (7366) ranked ahead of New Zealand (7079), Turkey (6438), Chile (6370), Colombia (6213) and China (6183).
2021’s Most Welcoming Cities and Regions in India
Based on the share of properties receiving the Traveller Review Award 2021, Booking.com is revealing the Most Welcoming Cities and Regions in India for travellers to experience the best in hospitality and friendliness whenever it’s safe again to do so. From Palolem (Goa) and Agonda (Goa), to Mararikulam (Kerala)) and Jaisalmer (Rajasthan), these places reveal hospitality can be found in every corner of the globe. South India dominated the most welcoming regions list in India with Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu making it to the top five.
Most Welcoming Cities in India | Most Welcoming Regions in India |
Palolem (Goa) | Kerala |
Agonda (Goa) | Rajasthan |
Mararikulam (Kerala) | Goa |
Jaisalmer (Rajasthan) | Karnataka |
Thekkady (Kerala) | Tamil Nadu |
Resorts, Apartments and Unique Places Remain Top Traveller Favourites
While hotels remained the most-awarded accommodation type in India for 2021 followed by resorts, three out of the five top-awarded accommodation types in India are unique places to stay: homestays, guesthouses and apartments. With alternative accommodations accounting for 30% of all new bookings in the third quarter of 2020, Booking.com is proud to offer so many unique stay experiences bringing superior hospitality to travellers.
Most welcoming accommodation types in India
- Hotel
- Resort
- Homestay
- Guesthouse
- Apartment
Essential Attributes of a Great Stay
The Booking.com Traveller Review Awards 2021 reveal insights into traveller preferences throughout the past year, uncovering that travellers appreciate staff, cleanliness and location most when reviewing award-winning properties on the platform, with those attributes scoring highest among the categories that travellers rate following their stay. With consumers increasingly conscious of health and hygiene, notably, on average, winners had a cleanliness score that was 17% higher than the average cleanliness score for non-winners, suggesting it may be a differentiator for a more perfect welcome.
“As trips became fewer and further between, each and every trip meant more to travellers than ever before, and it has become even more important to celebrate the outstanding service that the Traveller Review Award winners displayed during a year like no other. The breadth and spread of winners this year is a powerful testament to our partners’ dedication and resilience, as they managed to provide incredible travel experiences for people in every corner of the globe amidst a year of untold challenges for the entire industry. On our mission to make it easier for everyone to experience the world, our partners play such an impactful role in delivering amazing experiences to travellers and I know that with their tenacity, partnership and passion, we can rebuild travel together, and help more and more travellers rediscover our beautiful world when it’s safe to do so.” said Ritu Mehrotra, Country Manager, India, Sri Lanka, and Maldives at Booking.com
To be recognized with an Award, accommodation properties, and car rental pick-up locations had to have an average review score of 8.0 (out of 10) or higher based on at least 3 and 5 reviews, respectively, as of 11:59 pm (CET) on November 30, 2020. To be recognized for an Award, airport taxis had to have an average review score of 4.5 (out of 5) or higher and completed 2,000 rides as of 11:59 pm (CET) on November 30, 2020. 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, travellers can reference them for an authentic account of what the real traveller experience is like at every place to stay or with every ground transport provider on Booking.com.
Drawing on millions of customer reviews, Booking.com will present 1,147,344 Traveller Review Awards for 2021, recognizing partners across 220 countries and territories who made travel experiences more memorable for travellers.
*Destinations were sorted by the total share of Traveller Review Award 2021 winners when compared to the total amount of eligible properties in that city (accommodation only). Destinations also had to have an above-average amount of winners to be included on this list (50 award recipients or higher) and were curated for geographic spread.
**Accommodation type categories were sorted by the total share of Traveller Review Award 2021 winners when compared to the total number of eligible properties in that segment.