Canada may be known for its warm hospitality and friendly vibes, but according to a new global ranking, none of our cities are quite welcoming enough to scratch the top 10 friendliest in the world for 2024.
In this year’s Condé Nast Traveller Readers’ Choice Awards, not a single Canadian spot earned a place in the ranking of friendliest cities in the world — a stark contrast to last year, when Canadian cities absolutely dominated, snagging four spots in the top five. So, what changed?
“Last year, Canadian cities received the most votes, although 2024 saw the spotlight move across the border to the US, with New York, Chicago and Las Vegas all ranking in the top 10,” Condé Nast Traveller says.
In 2023, Calgary took the top spot as the friendliest city in the whole world, with Edmonton and Victoria close on its tail in 2nd and 3rd place, respectively. Meanwhile, Quebec City wasn’t far behind in the #5 spot. But this year, Canadian cities were conspicuously absent from the list altogether.
Still, despite Canada’s absence from the city rankings, the country itself made it to number five on the list of the world’s friendliest countries for 2024 — proving that the nation’s reputation for kindness and warmth is alive and well, even if our cities don’t get the same love.
The Readers’ Choice Awards rely on votes from “thousands” of travellers from the U.K., focusing on how welcome they felt in each destination. Readers consider everything from how easy it was to get around to how helpful the locals were and what the vibes were like in each city, according to the outlet.
So, who beat us? Here’s the full list of the friendliest cities in the world for 2024:
- Singapore
- Sydney, Australia
- Las Vegas, USA
- Bangkok, Thailand
- Cape Town, South Africa
- Tokyo, Japan
- Marrakech, Morocco
- Hong Kong
- Chicago, USA
- New York, USA
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