Merida Takes Top Spot in Global Friendliness Ranking
Merida, the capital of Mexico's Yucatan state, has been named the world's friendliest city in a comprehensive new ranking that analyzed traveler perceptions across 200 global destinations. Delhi ranked near the bottom of the list, placing among the 10 lowest-scoring cities worldwide.
The Friendliest Cities Index 2026, commissioned by travel platform Fernwayer and published on September 23, 2026, examined more than 1.2 million comments from hundreds of travel and city-related online forums. Researchers compared how frequently travelers used words like friendly, welcoming and hospitable versus terms like rude and hostile, converting the results into scores from 0 to 100.
Top Performers and Regional Patterns
Merida achieved a score of 95 out of 100, narrowly edging out Glasgow, Scotland, which scored 94.9, and Bogota, Colombia, at 94.5. The city, known for its Mayan heritage and colonial architecture located approximately one hour from ancient ruins and beaches, has consistently performed well in hospitality studies. It previously placed third on Condé Nast Traveler's 2020 list of the friendliest cities in the world.
The top 10 also included Bodrum, Turkey (94.4), Manchester, England (94.0), Hamburg, Germany (93.6), Perth, Australia (93.5), Sao Paulo, Brazil (93.3), Mexico City (93.2), and Nashville, United States (93.1). Nashville was the only American city to crack the top 10.
The index revealed a striking pattern: secondary and provincial cities frequently outscored major capitals. Paris, Madrid, London and Tokyo all ranked lowest within their respective countries. Latin America emerged as the highest-scoring region overall, with Colombia, Brazil and Mexico dominating the friendliness rankings.
Notable Rankings Across Continents
Montreal performed strongly, ranking 12th globally with a score of 92.5 and claiming the title of Canada's friendliest city. In contrast, Toronto scored just 45.5, placing 184th out of 200 cities surveyed.
Delhi's score of 43.6 positioned it among the least welcoming destinations according to traveler perceptions, despite the city recording 3.22 million foreign tourist arrivals in 2024. According to the Delhi Economic Survey 2025-26, this figure accounts for 38.9 percent of India's total international arrivals and represents more than twice the foreign tourist traffic of Mumbai.
Buenos Aires, Argentina, received the lowest score at 42.0, followed closely by Los Angeles (42.2), Madrid (42.5), Paris (42.9), Milan (43.0), and Barcelona (43.4).
Merida's Safety Record Supports Ranking
Merida's exceptional ranking aligns with other recent accolades. The city has been recognized as Mexico's safest capital, with approximately 100 crimes per 100,000 residents compared to the national average of 632.1 per 100,000. CEOWorld Magazine ranked Merida as the second safest city in the Americas in 2024, surpassed only by Quebec City, Canada.
Study Limitations and Implications
The study's methodology carries certain limitations. The ranking reflects perceptions from online discussions rather than comprehensive surveys of all visitors. Users of these platforms may not fully represent the broader traveling public, and individual perceptions can be shaped by personal experiences, cultural backgrounds and the nature of their travels.
For those considering international relocation or extended travel, the index provides one data point among many factors including visa requirements, employment opportunities and cost of living. The research suggests that travelers seeking welcoming environments may find warmer receptions in smaller, less prominent cities than in the major capitals that typically dominate tourist itineraries.
