The “Most Excellent” global tourism destinations, those that have the highest percentage of TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence recipients, were released today. Now in its eighth year, the Certificate of Excellence is given to accommodations, restaurants and experiences that deliver great service and consistently achieve high traveler reviews on TripAdvisor.

“TripAdvisor is the place consumers go to plan and book their trips, and study after study has shown the site’s impact on travel purchasing decisions,” said Neela Pal, vice president, brand marketing, TripAdvisor. “When travelers see a Certificate of Excellence sticker or certificate on display, they immediately know that the business has a track record of offering highly rated guest or diner experiences. Now, with our ‘Most Excellent’ lists, we’re excited to reveal the destinations where travelers are most likely to encounter these excellent businesses.”

TripAdvisor determined¹ which destinations had the highest percentage of Certificate of Excellence recipients across the following categories:

MOST EXCELLENT CITIES

“Most Excellent” Cities Overall

1.       Key West, USA

2.       Reykjavik, Iceland

3.       Edinburgh, UK

4.       Marrakech, Morocco

5.       Amsterdam, The Netherlands

6.       Dublin, Ireland

7.       Bali, Indonesia

8.       Krakow, Poland

9.       Glasgow, UK

10.     New Orleans, USA

 

“Most Excellent” Cities for Restaurants

1.       Key West, USA

2.       Reykjavik, Iceland

3.       Bali, Indonesia

4.       Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

5.       Venice, Italy

6.       Florence, Italy

7.       Edinburgh, UK

8.       Amsterdam, The Netherlands

9.       Dublin, Ireland

10.     Krakow, Poland

 

“Most Excellent” Cities for Experiences

1.       Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

2.       Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

3.       Playa del Carmen, Mexico

4.       Benidorm, Spain

5.       Reykjavik. Iceland

6.       Nashville, USA

7.       Myrtle Beach, USA

8.       Key West, USA

9.       Cancun, Mexico

10.     Tenerife, Spain

 

“Most Excellent” Cities for Accommodations

1.       Chicago, USA

2.       Stockholm, Sweden

3.       Munich, Germany

4.       San Francisco, USA

5.       Singapore

6.       Marrakech, Morroco

7.       Frankfurt, Germany

8.       Hamburg, Germany

9.       Washington DC, USA

10.     Taipei

 

MOST EXCELLENT COUNTRIES

“Most Excellent” Countries Overall

1.       Iceland

2.       Ireland

3.       United Kingdom

4.       Greece

5.       Morocco

6.       France

7.       The Netherlands

8.       Italy

9.       Portugal

10.     Belgium

 

“Most Excellent” Countries for Restaurants

1.       Iceland

2.       Greece

3.       Ireland

4.       United Kingdom

5.       Portugal

6.       France

7.       Italy

8.       Spain

9.       The Netherlands

10.     Hungary

 

“Most Excellent” Countries for Experiences

1.       Iceland

2.       Greece

3.       Mexico

4.       Portugal

5.       Morocco

6.       Vietnam

7.       United Kingdom

8.       Brazil

9.       Thailand

10.     Chile

 

“Most Excellent” Countries for Accommodations

1.       Singapore

2.       United Arab Emirates

3.       Morocco

4.       Iceland

5.       Ireland

6.       United Kingdom

7.       Australia

8.       Greece

9.       Canada

10.     Indonesia

 

Certificate of Excellence Methodology
Certificate of Excellence winners were selected using a proprietary algorithm that takes into account the quality, quantity, and recency of user reviews, as well as the business’ tenure on the site. Recipients must maintain an overall TripAdvisor rating of at least four out of five, have a minimum number of reviews and have been listed on TripAdvisor for at least twelve months. A business must be listed for the full 12-month qualifying period between April 1 to March 31 to be considered. Recipients are announced only once a year in late May.

“Most Excellent” Methodology
¹”Most Excellent” cities and countries were calculated as a percentage of businesses listed on TripAdvisor that received a Certificate of Excellence recognition within that destination during the qualifying period. Cities must have had a minimum of 1,000 businesses (i.e., accommodations, restaurants, experiences) listed on TripAdvisor. Country markets must have had a minimum of 5,000 businesses listed on TripAdvisor.