Booking.com’s annual Traveller Review Awards recognize 1.36 million travel providers from across 220 countries and territories for their commitment to providing consistently excellent – aka “welcoming” – service and hospitality over the course of the year. That’s a lot to list, so let’s simply break out the Canadian winners, plus offer a taste of the global top 10s as well.

The awards are based on a pool of over 240 million verified customer reviews on Booking.com, and resulted in 1,364,415 accommodation partners, 230 car rental providers and 58 airport taxi suppliers receiving a Traveller Review Award 2023. Of those, 6,779 in Canada belong to Canada.

Notably, Newfoundland and Labrador makes its debut in the top 10 (9th) ‘Most Welcoming Regions on Earth’ category, with Nova Scotia claiming the title of ‘Most Welcoming Region in Canada.’

Hotels and apartments continue to shine

The most awarded property type within Canada is hotels, claiming 1,360 across the country. In second place is apartments with 1,360 awards, then bed & breakfasts with 979, holiday homes with 651, and rounding out the top five is chalets with 429 awards.

A more sustainable traveller experience

Nearly one in 10 accommodation award recipients globally (122,095) have also been recognized with a Travel Sustainable badge for their efforts to operate more sustainably. In fact, Travel Sustainable accommodations were three times more likely to receive a Traveller Review Award 2023, compared to those not being recognized with a Travel Sustainable badge. Out of all accommodation types, hotels had the highest share of Travel Sustainable accommodations (15%) receiving a Traveller Review Award 2023.

This year’s Most Welcoming Places have all been identified based on the share of accommodation partners receiving a Traveller Review Award 2023:

Most Welcoming Cities in Canada

1. Baie Saint Paul, Que.
2. Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont.
3. Golden, BC
4. St. John’s, Nfld.
5. Banff, Alta.
6. Jasper, Alta.
7. Mont-Tremblant, Que.
8. Quebec City
9. Revelstoke, BC
10. Moncton, NB

Most Welcoming Regions in Canada

1. Nova Scotia
2. Quebec
3. Alberta
4. British Columbia
5. Ontario

The real stars of the show, the local properties themselves, have earned consistent Booking.com scores of 9.7 or higher across anywhere from 50 to over 400 reviews.

Most Welcoming Hotels in Canada

1. Alicion Bed & Breakfast, Lunenburg, NS
2. L’Ancrage Bed & Breakfast, Saint Louis de Kent, NB
3. Canyon Ridge Lodge, Golden, BC
4. Beaujolais Boutique B&B, Banff, Alta.
5. A Wave From It All villa, Port Saunders, Nfld.
6. Radium Elk Park B & B, Radium Hot Springs, Alta.
7. Princess and the Pea Hotel, Langley, BC
8. La Maison de Sophie, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont.
9. Golden Acres Mountain Lodge, Golden, BC
10. Spirit Lodge at Silverstar, Vernon, BC

Global winners

2023’s Most Welcoming Places on Earth span five continents and feature hidden coastal gems, rural destinations surrounded by breathtaking natural beauty, a bustling Latin American metropolis, and a first time top 10 entrant from Canada:

Most Welcoming Cities On Earth

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

Most Welcoming Regions On Earth

1. La Rioja, Spain
2. Epirus, Greece
3. Oberosterreich, Austria
4. County Down, UK
5. Mures, Romania
6. Marlborough, New Zealand
7. Ninh Binh, Vietnam
8. Limon, Costa Rica
9. Newfoundland & Labrador
10. North Dakota, US

About the awards

To be recognized with an award, accommodation partners had to have an average review score of 8.0 (out of 10) or higher based on at least three reviews, as of 11:59pm (CET) on Nov. 30, 2022. Destinations were sorted by the total share of Traveller Review Award 2023 recipients when compared to the total amount of eligible properties in that city or region (accommodation only). Destinations also had to have an above-average amount of winners to be included on this list (500 award recipients or higher for cities and 500 recipients or higher for regions) and were curated for geographic spread.