September 24, 2025, 6:34 am | Read time: 3 minutes
Which countries are the most hospitable in the world? This question was answered at this year’s TRAVELBOOK Award on September 23, 2025, in Berlin. The nominees included South Africa, Sri Lanka, Greece, Costa Rica, and New Zealand. Our author Anna Wengel (Chiodo) spent a month in Sri Lanka a few years ago and fondly remembers the warmth and hospitality she experienced from the people there.
It’s been a while since I was in Sri Lanka. Yet, I still vividly remember a particular innkeeper in Midigama. He greeted me every morning with a beaming smile, surprisingly good coffee for Sri Lanka, and a delicious breakfast (though that alone would have been enough to start my day perfectly). He seemed to anticipate my every need and showered me with kindness. Not in an intrusive or uncomfortable way, if that’s what you’re thinking (though there were those, too). No, he simply saw a young woman traveling alone and wanted to ensure she had a pleasant, safe stay. And I did, thanks in large part to this hospitable innkeeper in southern Sri Lanka.
Hospitable and Great for Solo Travel
Sri Lanka is a country I wholeheartedly recommend as a great travel destination for solo female travelers. This is largely due to the exceptional hospitality found there. Whether in Colombo, along the southern coast, or during my train journey from Ella to Kandy, I was met with smiles, warmth, and often helpfulness. I connected not only with other travelers but also with locals. Whether on the train with others who, like me, wanted to look out from the open door of the third-class compartment, or with the cook in Midigama who decided I should sit with her rather than alone at a table.
Hospitality often went beyond a quick “Hello, what would you like to eat?” and typical questions like “Where are you from?”, “Why are you traveling alone?”, “What are you doing here?”. Care might be the right word here. Beyond simple friendliness and interest, it was the extra step that locals often took for me during my month in Sri Lanka. Whether with invitations, spontaneous solutions to travel issues, or tips for particularly beautiful, secluded writing and yoga spots.
South Africa is One of the Most Hospitable Countries in the World
The Most Hospitable Country in the World Is …
Hospitality in Sri Lanka
I did some reading on hospitality in Sri Lanka and its deep roots in Sri Lankan culture and found the description on the srilanka.travel website fitting. It states that Sri Lankans are characterized by “a warm and friendly nature, evident in their constant smiles and willingness to help strangers unfamiliar with local life,” regardless of their social class. It further states that Sri Lankans are “very hospitable and proud to invite people into their homes.” The advice is: “Don’t be surprised if a driver, a guide, or just about anyone you meet invites you to join them. And don’t decline, because hospitality in Sri Lanka is taken very seriously here!”
Methodology for the TRAVELBOOK Award
We say it every year: All nominated regions, countries, and the like for the TRAVELBOOK Award are already winners. Even if they didn’t win the overall prize. This applies to Sri Lanka as well. Because: Each country had already made it to the shortlist beforehand, selected from a large number of contenders in a category.
The TRAVELBOOK editorial team sought help from the community on Facebook and Instagram and consulted experts from the travel industry to create the shortlist. TRAVELBOOK readers then cast nearly 150,000 votes to choose their trending travel destinations for 2026.