Ask a traveler where you'll find the
most welcoming locals, and you'll likely see a few nations consistently named.
For example, you're likely to hear Australia come up a few times. Same with
Ireland. And possibly Italy, especially if you're younger than 5 or a blonde.
A new report from the World Economic
Forum has ranked 140 nations based on the "attitude of population toward
foreign visitors." Here's the short version: If you're visiting Bolivia
and in need of directions, you probably won't have as much luck as you would
in, say, Iceland.
Answers to the question posed,
"How welcome are foreign visitors in your country?" were given a
weighted average from 1 -7, 1 = very unwelcome and 7 = very welcome. Turns out
Bolivia came in last on the list with a score of 4.1, while Iceland tied for
first place with New Zealand, with a 6.8, making Kiwis even friendlier than
their neighbors, the Aussies (6.5 and ranking No. 27) who've long had a
reputation for being among the world's friendliest.
And where did the good-old USA rank?
No. 102, with a score of 6.0. And those friendly Irishmen? They ranked far
better: No. 9 on the list, with a score of 6.6.
Top 10
Iceland
New Zealand
Morocco
Macedonia
Austria
Senegal
Portugal
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Ireland
Burkina Faso
*Note that Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Ireland and Burkina Faso all scored a 6.6. Also scoring a 6.6: Barbados,
Canada, Thailand, Mali, United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Malta, Yemen, Belgium
and Rwanda.
Bottom 10
Bolivia
Venezuela
Russian Federation
Kuwait
Latvia
Iran
Pakistan
Slovak Republic
Bulgaria
Mongolia
*Note that Mongolia scored a 5.5, a
score also shared by China, Korean and Saudi Arabia.
