THE FRIENDLIEST COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD: 2022 READERS’ CHOICE AWARDS
Condé Nast Traveller - 4 October 2022
They say you can travel the world and you'll never find anywhere as welcoming as home, but we don't quite think that's true. From the ever-beaming people of Sri Lanka to the famously open-armed population of New Zealand, our planet is home to some seriously friendly countries, ready to share the love they feel for their country with you. So, once again, we asked our readers to vote for the countries they consider to be home to the friendliest people in our 2022 Readers' Choice Awards. This is how you voted – counting backwards from 10 to one.
10. Philippines
Just making it into the top 10, the Philippines (made up of around 7,641 islands) inclusion is proof that the famous Filipino hospitality is alive and kicking. The country has often been praised for its seemingly effortless ability to lavish genuine hospitality on visitors, foreigners, or expatriates. Many people consider the Banaue Rice Terraces here to be the ‘Eighth Wonder of the World,' though plenty of other beauty spots abound here. The islands are peppered with majestic mountainscapes, decorative churches and sprawling sandy beaches.
9. Sri Lanka
From children to the elderly, the people of Sri Lanka are known for their love of visitors, and genuine desire to help. On the south coast, set sail on a whale watching expedition in Mirissa, shop the colourful boutiques of the fort city of Galle or shack up at the uber-luxe Cape Weligama hotel, occupying a cliff next to the ocean. Make the climb up to the Tea District, where precarious winding roads will lead you into the heart of the country's tea plantations, or, towards the centre, climb Sigiriya Rock for views far and wide.
8. Belize
Described by educator and civil advocate Sebastian Cayetano as “the melting pot of Central America,” Belize is a country with a rich and variety of cultures, traditions and histories. Many visitors take advantage of the perfect snorkelling surrounds, heading to Belize Barrier Reef to see the coral garden, head underground to explore the caves, dripping with flora and fauna, or pay a visit to Hopkins Village, on the coast of the Stann Creek District, where you'll be able to see cassava bread being made (it takes two days to prepare) and hike the waterfalls at Bocawina National Park.
7. Peru
Home to no less than 28 of the world's 32 climates, Peru is a country that seems to band together every landscape you could experience. From the jagged Andes (the longest continental mountain range in the world) to the tropical Amazon basin and fringing the outskirts, some pretty exquisite - if a-typical - coastline. The 15th-century Inca citadel of Machu Picchu is perhaps the country's most famous landmark, though locals will tell you that the Lost City of Choquequirao is much more extensive (though harder to reach on foot).
