Booking.com’s newly released 2026 Most Welcoming Cities list arrives with a clean, appealing premise: people want destinations that feel friendly, and many travelers factor that into where they spend their money. In its announcement, Booking.com notes that 45% of travelers prioritize friendly locals, and says the 2026 rankings are powered by more than 370 million verified reviews collected for its annual Traveler Review Awards program. That data-driven framing matters as it anchors the word “welcoming” in measurable traveler feedback. When millions of guests consistently describe similar experiences across properties and destinations, the idea moves from branding language to documented traveler behavior.
Still, “welcoming” lands differently for Black travelers because friendliness is only the outer layer of the experience. Beyond hospitality, the question is whether a place feels safe, whether service interactions are respectful, and whether a visitor can move through public spaces without being singled out. MMGY Travel Intelligence’s latest research on the U.S. Black travel market reports that safety and a welcoming atmosphere remain top decision drivers, with 79% of U.S. Black travelers ranking those factors as highly influential.
What ‘Welcoming’ Means When You Factor In Real-World Risk
Booking.com’s list captures where many travelers report good experiences, but it cannot fully measure what Black travelers often evaluate intuitively: the difference between warmth and ease. “Ease” is the feeling that you can check into a hotel, browse a boutique, or ask for directions without being treated as suspicious, out of place, or “other.”
Studies and reporting on discrimination in travel help explain why that matters. Black travelers have long described the need to anticipate bias in places where they are visibly in the minority, especially in settings tied to money and access, such as lodging and dining. That reality shows up in both older research and more recent work on bias in travel-adjacent marketplaces, including short-term rentals.
For example, Airbnb’s Project Lighthouse report acknowledges that discrimination exists on platforms and references the broader context of “AirbnbWhileBlack,” which has become a shorthand for recurring travel anxiety as the booking itself can become a gatekeeping moment. This is why language such as “welcoming” tends to carry a more specific meaning in Black travel conversations. It reflects a desire for predictable fairness and consistent treatment throughout the trip. In practical terms, a destination feels welcoming when everyday service interactions are consistent, when staff treat guests with equal courtesy, and when visitors do not feel the need to self-monitor to avoid escalating situations.
That is also why it is stronger to frame “welcoming” as a set of conditions rather than a promise about any one city. The better question is not, “Is this place friendly?” but “Does friendliness hold when the traveler is Black, alone, dressed casually, arriving late, or navigating high-stress moments like check-in problems?” Those are the moments when “welcoming” stops being a vibe and starts being a measurable experience.
A Few Cities From The List And What They Signal In Practice
The 2026 list extends beyond headline capitals, with places like Montepulciano, Italy; Harrogate, United Kingdom; and Fredericksburg, Texas, earning spots alongside more obvious tourism hubs. The company’s release positions these cities as those where hospitality stands out, based on the share of local accommodation partners that receive awards. That matters as accommodations often set the tone. The first human interaction on a trip is often with a front desk agent, host, or property manager.
For Black travelers, that tone-setting moment can influence how relaxed the rest of the trip feels. A smooth, respectful arrival can reduce the mental friction of wondering whether problems will be interpreted unfairly. Take Fredericksburg, which has been named a top welcoming destination and a standout small town in the Texas Hill Country. Small-town hospitality can be genuine, but Black travelers also know that small towns sometimes come with social visibility that can feel intense.
You can sense when you are being watched, assessed, or treated as a novelty. That does not mean a place is unsafe or unwelcoming, but it does shape how friendly it feels on the ground. Meanwhile, a place like Montepulciano can signal a different kind of welcome: human-scale travel, a slower pace, and more personal interactions, which can be comforting when they come with dignity and normalcy rather than curiosity.
The Real Test Of “Welcoming” Is Cultural Comfort
The destinations on most welcoming lists often deliver what mainstream travelers describe as friendliness: helpful service, pleasant conversations, and a sense that locals enjoy visitors. Black travelers value those things too, but welcome becomes more profound when it includes cultural comfort. Cultural comfort is the feeling that you can exist in a place without constantly translating yourself, defending yourself, or managing stereotypes. It shows up when staff do not assume you are not a guest, when questions stay respectful, and when public spaces do not feel like you are being policed by attention.
What makes a destination feel welcoming without pretending we can certify any city as bias-free is consistency. It is the absence of friction in routine moments and the sense that if something goes wrong, the traveler will be treated fairly rather than doubted. It also comes from representation and visibility, which can come from many sources: a diverse tourism workforce, inclusive storytelling in museums and tours, and local businesses that reflect a range of cultures.
Below is the full list of Booking.com’s 2026 Most Welcoming Cities.
- Montepulciano, Italy
- Magong, Taiwan
- San Martín de los Andes, Argentina
- Harrogate, United Kingdom
- Fredericksburg, Texas, United States
- Pirenópolis, Brazil
- Swakopmund, Namibia
- Takayama, Japan
- Noosa Heads, Australia
- Klaipėda, Lithuania
