New Zealand’s Queenstown, Christchurch, and Auckland are three of the world’s friendliest cities. Over 46,000 Conde Nast Traveller readers have voted for the Kiwi cities to be one of the Friendliest Cities in the World.

The list is part of the annual Readers’ Choice survey, in which readers also voted for the Unfriendliest Cities in the World.

At fourth place is Queenstown. The readers rated it with a high score of 91.8, surpassed only by Florianopolis, Brazil (1st); Hobart, Tasmania (2nd); and Thimpu, Bhutan (3rd). According to the readers, Queenstown could get by on its “picturesque” looks alone, but the hospitality of the residents is what makes this city great.

Although Christchurch had been devastated by earthquake in 2011, this Kiwi city still “continues to fight on and keep a good spirit.” The city, which sits at 11th place with 88.4 per cent, has worked hard to maintain its amenities and attractions. Furthermore, the locals’ upbeat attitude and their friendliness to visitors are “humbling.”

Five places below to 16th place, and tied with Savannah, Georgia with 87.8 per cent, is Auckland which the readers described as “pretty, lively city” on the edge of a beautiful harbour. Travellers love the city’s lovely waterfront, restaurants, and its outstanding National Museum. And while the place itself is superb, it’s the warm hospitality of the people that won travellers over.

“The people are happy and helpful to visitors,” one reader commented.

“I fell in love with the people, the city, and the country and will return someday,” another comment reads.

Neighbouring country Australia also has an entry in the Top 20 list. Margaret River, which is just south of Perth on Australia’s west coast, is tied with Paro, Bhutan at 6th place with 90.3 per cent. It ranked high in the friendliest category, with the readers also rating the town’s ambiance with 90.3 per cent and its restaurants with 80.6 per cent.

At the opposite side of the spectrum are the unfriendliest cities in the world, which are led by Newark, New Jersey.

A reader commented that she “ran into a lot of rude people there,” while others noted their negative experiences with the local crowd.

Top 10 World's Friendliest Cities:
1. Florianopolis, Brazil
2. Hobart, Tasmania
3. Thimpu, Bhutan
4. Queenstown, New Zealand
5. Charleston, South Carolina
6. Paro, Bhutan (tie)
6. Margaret River, Australia (tie)
7. Mandalay, Burma
8. Kilkenny, Ireland (tie)
8. Ubud, Bali, Indonesia (tie)
10. Chian Mai, Thailand
11. Christchurch, New Zealand
12. Dublin, Ireland
14. Galena,Illinois (tie)
14. Victoria, British Columbia, Canada (tie)
16. Auckland, New Zealand (tie)
16. Savannah, Georgia (tie)
18. Edinburgh, Scotland
20. Asheville, North Carolina (tie)
20. Cork, Ireland (tie)

Top 10 World's Unfriendliest Cities:
1. Newark, New Jersey
2. Islamabad, Pakistan
3. Oakland, California
4. Luanda, Angola
5. Kuwait City, Kuwait
6. Lome, Togo
7. New Haven, Connecticut
8. Detroit, Michigan
9. Atlantic City, New Jersey
10. Tangier, Morocco
11. Guangzhou, China
12. Los Angeles, California
13. Albany, New York
14. Shenzhen, China
15. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
16. Moscow, Russia
17. Wilmington, Delaware
18. Casablanca,Morocco
19. Bethlehem, Palestine
20. Caracas, Venezuela

Queensland tourism video:

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