Singapore is an exceptionally friendly city—not one but two reports show

SINGAPORE: In case anyone has any doubts, Singapore is on top of the list of the friendliest cities in the world.

The US-based Condé Nast Traveler published its Readers’ Choice Awards earlier this month, and one category asked readers to rank their favourite cities for a friendly stay.

While in 2023, cities in Canada dominated the top 10 list, this year, the Little Red Dot emerged as the readers’ top choice.

With a stellar score of 94.84, Singapore took pole position, adding “diverse communities offering the crème de la crème of hospitality” to a reputation already distinguished by economic stability, safety, cleanliness, and financial prowess.

“Singapore has always had a reputation for being exceptional,” wrote Condé Nast Traveler. “In other words, Singapore has all the components to achieve the status of metropolitan utopia.”

It also pointed out that Singapore is also becoming known as the “Garden City” for its abundance of green spaces.

In case you’re interested, Sydney, Australia, is this year’s runner-up for friendliest city. Known for its residents’ outgoing personalities that match its sunny climate, it received a score of 93.85. Las Vegas, Nevada, closely followed (93.33).

Rounding out the top five are Bangkok, Thailand, (92) and Cape Town, South Africa (91.30).

In sixth to tenth places, respectively, are: Tokyo, Japan. (90.87), Marrakech, Morocco (90.59), Hong Kong (89.70), Chicago, Illinois (89.66), and New York, USA (84.26).

However, readers of Condé Nast Traveler are not the only ones who have found Singapore to be especially friendly.

Earlier this year, online language learning marketplace Preply ranked the 20 friendliest cities across Asia. While Taipei, Taiwan, took first place, Singapore came in a very respectable second. Delhi, Seoul, and Chennai ranked third to fifth, respectively.

The company based its results on a number of factors, including visitor return rate, visitor acceptance, acceptance of diversity, safety index, and friendliness to foreigners.

Singapore received high marks for safety, as can be expected, as well as for visitor acceptance.

Taipei may have clinched the top spot as it has the highest diversity acceptance of any city, at 66 out of 100. Preply noted, however, that Singapore has the highest English-language proficiency of any city.

“It’s understandable how friendly Singapore is, as a widespread use of English allows easy communication and accessibility for tourists, where English speakers can engage with locals without language barriers,” wrote Preply. /TISG

Read also: Singapore’s Changi Airport is ranked 1st—and 2nd—best airport in the world by travellers