UK’s most welcoming places revealed in the Booking.com top 10 - does your town make the list?

The UK’s most welcoming places have been revealed according to Booking.com’s top 10 - does your town make the list?
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Booking.com has unveiled the top 10 most welcoming destinations in both the world and UK, so if you want a warm welcome on your next staycation, you know where to go, from Somerset  to Scotland.

Topping the charts is Kirkwall, located in Scotland. Booking.com says: “Soak up the Viking history and heritage, and wallow in the stunning natural beauty and local wildlife on one of the island’s many nature or beach walks.”

A spokesperson for Booking.com said: “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

“To be recognised with an award in the UK, destinations had to have at least 50 eligible accommodations to be included in this list and were sorted by the highest share of award recipients per destination.”

Only one destination from the UK made the top 10 most welcoming destinations worldwide. That place is York, which oddly doesn’t feature in the site’s UK top 10. Topping the worldwide list was Polignano a Mare, Italy, followed by Hualien City, Taiwan with San Sebastián, Spain rounding off the top three.

UK’s most welcoming destinations

  1. Kirkwall, Scotland 
  2. Newcastle, County Down
  3. Newry, County Down 
  4. Enniskillen, County Fermanagh
  5. Pitlochry, Perthshire
  6. Ballycastle, County Antrim 
  7. Glastonbury, Somerset
  8. Stamford, Lincolnshire 
  9. Frome, Somerset
  10. Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire
A general view of the waterfront in Kirkwall on September 6, 2021A general view of the waterfront in Kirkwall on September 6, 2021
A general view of the waterfront in Kirkwall on September 6, 2021

Most welcoming destinations in the World

  1. Polignano a Mare, Italy
  2. Hualien City, Taiwan
  3. San Sebastián, Spain
  4. Dresden, Germany
  5. Klaipeda, Lithuania
  6. York, UK
  7. Ushuaia, Argentina
  8. Porto De Galinhas, Brazil
  9. Mexico City, Mexico
  10. Gold Coast, Australia