Taiwan’s eastern Hualien City features in Booking.com’s top 10 most welcoming cities on Earth list for 2023.
Compiled by the Netherlands-headquartered online travel platform, Hualien was placed second out of 10 locations on the most welcoming cities list, behind Italy’s Polignano a Mare in first place and just ahead of Spain’s San Sebastian, Germany’s Dresden and Lithuania’s Klaipeda.
According to the platform, the city has an easy-going atmosphere, with many beautiful parks like Meilun Mountain Park to stroll in. It is also home to Dong Da Men Night Market which is a great destination for travelers wanting to taste some delicious snacks at the vibrant night market, it said.
Nearby Taroko National Park with incredible natural vistas of mountains and waterfalls is within easy reach for travelers to explore, the platform added. Hualien also topped other Taiwan cities with 527 winning accommodation partners, above Taitung in southeastern Taiwan which garnered 504; and Tainan in southern Taiwan with 459.
Chan Ya-yu, manager of the platform’s Taiwan branch, said tourists seek unique and memorable experiences, but are also concerned about the effects of travel on the environment and want to respect local development during their visit. There are many attractions in Taiwan that align with such demands and the platform will continue to promote Taiwan tourism and broadcast the nation’s beauty to the world, she added.
The lists are part of the 11th annual Traveler Review Awards, drawn from over 240 million verified reviews from real travelers. A total of 1.36 million accommodation partners, 230 car rental providers, and 58 airport taxi suppliers in 220 countries and territories have received an award for 2023. These include 7,671 partners in Taiwan, according to the platform. (YCH-E)
Write to Taiwan Today at ttonline@mofa.gov.tw