September 24, 2025, 6:52 am | Read time: 5 minutes
When you think back on a vacation, you often remember not just the beautiful places and experiences you had. You also recall the encounters with people who were particularly hospitable. Greece is known as one of the most hospitable countries in the world. As a tourist, you always feel welcome there, and many agree: In the large reader voting for the TRAVELBOOK AWARD 2025, Greece confidently secured the title “Most Hospitable Country in the World”—and thus the coveted trophy.
“And the winner is …,” was announced for the fourth time at the TRAVELBOOK AWARD, presented by AIDA. Prominent guests from the travel and tourism industry gathered again this year at the Axel Springer building above the rooftops of Berlin to attend Germany’s most inspiring tourism award ceremony.
During the dinner evening with embassy representatives and prominent guests from the tourism industry, the TRAVELBOOK editorial team honored the best trending travel destinations in the world—including the most hospitable countries. Greece made it to the podium with 28 percent of the votes, followed by New Zealand (24 percent), Sri Lanka (23 percent), Costa Rica (17 percent), and South Africa (9 percent).
“Love and Friendship to Strangers”
Nuno Alves, editor-in-chief of the BOOK Family, said in his speech during the award ceremony on Tuesday evening: “I have had the great pleasure of visiting Greece several times: as a student, later with my wife, and most recently with my two daughters. And each time, I have experienced that even in difficult times, one thing remains constant: the naturalness of meeting guests with attention and warmth.”
Nicole Lekanidi from the Greek National Tourism Organization personally accepted the trophy for the most hospitable country in the world and said: “In Greek, we say Filoxenia—the love and friendship to strangers. We are talking about real love and genuine interest. Greece is more than beaches, sea, and sun—it’s the people. They show true love, warmth, and zest for life. On a trip to Greece, you can feel this yourself!”
These Are the Experiences of TRAVELBOOK Editor Katharina Regenthal
Greece is one of my favorite destinations when it comes to summer in Europe. The journey isn’t too long, the food is delicious, and I won’t even start on the crystal-clear sea and white sandy beaches—otherwise, I won’t stop raving. Whether on the islands or the mainland, Greece offers everything my personal vacationer’s heart desires. But what truly defines the country is not just the beaches or the food—it’s the people who make our stay so enjoyable.
How Hospitable the People in Greece Really Are
I’ve been to Greece many times. Even as a child, I noticed how warm and kind the Greeks are—especially to the little guests. Just looking at an ice cream menu, you can see how child-friendly this country is. But a vacation on the small island of Kos remains particularly memorable for me in terms of hospitality.
We rented a car and had a specific beach in mind. We didn’t find it directly and ended up at another spot—and nothing better could have happened to us.
At the small beach, there were about six umbrellas and a few loungers. A small sign revealed that they all belonged to the small restaurant located just above the beach. Unlike perhaps other tourists, we didn’t just lie down and wait to see if someone would come to charge us—or even tell us that we couldn’t just lie there.
In the restaurant, I wanted to ask how everything worked. We had to communicate more or less with gestures (because I don’t speak Greek and the woman in the restaurant didn’t speak English)—but that didn’t make the moment uncomfortable. The lady was so warm and kind and explained to me that you would have to pay about ten euros per lounger—unless you ordered something at the restaurant. I suspect that because we didn’t just lie down but asked, she wanted to give us the loungers for free. Of course, I didn’t want that, and we agreed that I would take two lemon-mint lemonades to the beach so I could at least leave some money. And what can I say? A cold lemonade has never tasted so good—and I’m sure it wasn’t just because of the ingredients, but because of this wonderful woman and her warm nature!
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Hospitality Is a Big Deal for the Greeks
But it wasn’t just this moment on Kos that showed me how warm the Greeks are. The mere fact that in almost every restaurant you get a dessert (usually fruit or something sweet) for free shows how hospitable the people in Greece are. This summer, we were in Chalkidiki. Although every tavern had some desserts on its menu, we were always brought a plate of fruit or a small ice cream—for free!
Not that I need that to feel welcome. But it’s just a nice gesture that gives you a good feeling. Hospitality is indeed a big deal for the Greeks.
Methodology for the TRAVELBOOK AWARD
All nominated regions, countries, and others for the TRAVELBOOK AWARD are already winners. Even if they didn’t achieve overall victory. Because: Each country had already made it to the shortlist in advance, meaning it was selected from a large number of candidates in a category.
The TRAVELBOOK editorial team asked the community on Facebook and Instagram for help and consulted experts from the travel industry to create the shortlist. TRAVELBOOK readers then cast nearly 150,000 votes and chose their trend travel destinations for 2026.