For the friendliest places on the planet, think Honolulu or Amsterdam -- but not L.A.?
A sailboat heads to the wind with iconic Diamond Head, almost synonymous with Honolulu, as a backdrop. Travelzoo voted Honolulu as the friendliest U.S. City.
As cities go, Honolulu and Amsterdam couldn't be more different. But they do have this in common: They're open, friendly, inviting. That's according to a recent Travelzoo poll of 6,000 travelers who responded to the company's online survey.
Honolulu came in first for friendliest city in the U.S. The home of the hula, rocking beaches and Spam lovers apparently welcomes visitors warmly.
New York City (say what?) came in second. Los Angeles, well, didn't make it into the top 10 but San Diego, San Francisco and Las Vegas did.
Here's how other U.S. cities stacked up.
Travelzoo’s friendly factors
(Travelzoo)
When it comes to American states, however, California does better. It comes in second only to Florida. Could it be all that nice weather and theme park rides make travelers feel well-loved?
Travelzoo’s friendly factors
(Travelzoo)
Amsterdam, the city that has more than 1,200 bridges and 60 miles of canals, came in tops for friendliest city in Europe, and Italy ranked No. 1 for the friendliest European nation. The list here shows overlap between city-country choices, with the order changed up.
Travelzoo’s friendly factors
(Travelzoo)
Friendliest Latin American countries starts with Mexico, followed by Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic and Brazil.
For Asian-Pacific countries, Australia came in first followed by New Zealand, Thailand, Fiji and Japan.
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What constitutes a friendly act? Most people in the Travelzoo survey felt that getting directions when they were lost ranked high on the friendly index.
Travelzoo’s friendly factors
(Travelzoo)
Travelzoo polled 6,405 online users from Feb. 19-26 and 1,226 online users from Jan. 4 to Jan. 20 in creating the survey.
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