Dresden is one of the most hospitable cities in the world

After the internationally renowned travel publisher Lonely Planet recommended Dresden as one of the world's top 30 travel destinations for 2023 at the end of last year, the Saxon state capital can now announce its next outstanding ranking in an international tourism comparison. On the booking portal Booking.com, Dresden is number 4 of the ten most hospitable cities in the world, after the Italian coastal town of Polignano a Mare, the Taiwanese city of Hualien City and San Sebastián in Spain. The ranking was based on the percentage of accommodation partners that received a Traveller Review Award 2023 from Booking.com. The awards are presented annually to recognise partner accommodations of the travel portal for exceptional hospitality. Hospitality, in turn, is evidenced by the review scores that travellers give after their stay or experience.

"An outstanding guest review is the best and most valuable recognition a tourism provider can wish for. The Booking.com guest review and the Lonely Planet recommendation put Dresden on the bucket list of many more travellers, especially abroad. We also expect to welcome even more visitors from Germany as a result," says a delighted Corinne Miseer, Managing Director of Dresden Marketing GmbH, Dresden's official umbrella marketing organisation. "Especially now, after two years dominated by the coronavirus pandemic, being recognised and recommended so strongly as a top travel destination also encourages the many players in tourism - from the hotel industry and retail to gastronomy and culture," Miseer continues. "The fact that we Dresden hotels are rated so highly by our guests stands for teamwork and the high level of professionalism with which we work in our industry - even and especially despite major crises," adds Sebastian Klink, Board Member of Tourismusverband Dresden e.V. and General Manager of the Bilderberg Bellevue Hotel Dresden.

The travel offers of the Saxon state capital run through the entire year. Major anniversaries will be celebrated in 2023, established and new cultural events are on the programme, as are exciting exhibition openings and stage premieres. Major events also cast their shadows ahead, such as Caspar David Friedrich's 250th birthday in 2024, which Dresden will honour with a special exhibition by the Dresden State Art Collections, among other things.

Based on over 240 million verified customer reviews on Booking.com, 1,364,415 accommodation partners worldwide will receive a Traveller Review Award in 2023, including a total of 76,479 partners in Germany. This puts Germany in fourth place worldwide in terms of the number of award-winning accommodations. With 48,545 awards, holiday flats received the most awards, followed by hotels (10,844), holiday homes (8,258), guesthouses (4,249) and apart-hotels (969).

Polignano a Mare, Italy

Hualien City, Taiwan

San Sebastián, Spain

Dresden, Germany

Klaipėda, Lithuania

York, United Kingdom

Ushuaia, Argentina

Porto De Galinhas, Brazil

Mexico City, Mexico

Gold Coast, Australia

Rhineland-Palatinate

Saxony

Thuringia

Bavaria

Saarland

In order to receive an award, for example, accommodation had to be rated by 30 November 2022. For example, in order to receive an award, accommodation had to have an average rating score of at least 8.0 (out of 10) based on at least three reviews by 30 November 2022.

The destinations were ranked according to the overall percentage of winners of the Traveller Review Awards 2023, after being compared to the total number of eligible accommodations in the respective city or region (accommodation industry only). Destinations also had to have an above-average number of winners (at least 500 each for cities and regions) to appear on this list and were selected according to geographical distribution.