Abu Dhabi and Muscat have been named in a list of the world’s friendliest travel destinations.
The list, compiled by Big 7 Travel, placed the UAE and Omani capital cities 13th and 18th respectively, based on the views of the website’s 1.5 million users.
The list, which was topped by Vancouver in Canada, ranked cities on a number of factors including how easy it is to navigate, how willing strangers are to help you find your way and the potential to make new best friends in a local bar.
Asian cities rated highly overall, with several US and Canada cities also making it into the top 10.
Regarding Abu Dhabi, the website said: “The UAE is a glittering destination with cosmopolitan cities such as Dubai, but Abu Dhabi scoops top spot for friendliness. With a large expat community and a keen focus on tourism, visitors are really looked after here hospitality-wise.”
On Muscat, it added: “Oman’s up-and-coming cosmopolitan city has a hugely positive attitude towards foreigners, making it an ideal place to visit. It’s not the best for getting around (transport leaves a lot to be desired) but it doesn’t matter – lovely locals will show you the way.”
Big 7 Travel said Vancouver took top spot “thanks to its extraordinarily friendly residents”, adding: “The city has an amazing multicultural community who band together to make visitors feel welcome and safe at all times. Locals are quick to offer assistance to tourists and the community vibe makes socialising in Vancouver simple.”
The 50 friendliest cities in the world:
50th Rome, Italy49th Casablanca, Morocco48th Berlin, Germany47th New York City, New York, USA46th Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam45th Kiev, Ukraine44th Colombo, Sri Lanka43rd Honolulu, Hawaii42nd Madrid, Spain41st Sydney, Australia40th London, England39th Geneva, Switzerland38th Guangzhou, China37th Puerto Vallarta, Mexico36th Moscow, Russia35th Jaipur, India34th Montreal, Canada33rd Charleston, South Carolina, USA32nd Manchester, England31st Budapest, Hungary30th Amsterdam, Netherlands29th Lisbon, Portugal28th Tokyo, Japan27th Bogota, Colombia26th Lilongwe, Malawi25th Stockholm, Sweden24th Singapore, Singapore23rd Mexico City, Mexico22nd Copenhagen, Denmark21st Nairobi, Kenya20th Siem Reap, Cambodia19th Houston, Texas, USA18th Muscat, Oman17th Cork, Ireland16th Adelaide, Australia15th Athens, Greece14th Cape Town, South Africa13th Abu Dhabi, UAE12th Santa Domingo, Dominican Republic11th Chiang Mai, Thailand10th Glasgow, Scotland9th São Paulo, Brazil8th Nashville, Tennessee, USA7th Christchurch, New Zealand6th Dublin, Ireland5th Hamburg, Germany4th Taipei, Taiwan3rd Bruges, Belgium2nd Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia1st Vancouver, Canada
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