MAM
Jaisalmer names the top ten most welcoming cities by Booking.com
Mumbai: Booking.com, connecting travellers with the widest choice of incredible places to stay, great things to do and transport options, today revealed the top 10 most welcoming places on Earth according to its 12 Annual Traveller Review Awards.
Based on more than 309 million verified customer reviews and in recognition of delivering consistently excellent service and hospitality, a record 1.48 million Booking.com travel providers across 221 countries and territories are being recognized for their hospitality with the Traveller Review Award 2024, including 13,348 in India. For the seventh year in a row, Italy continued its streak with the highest number of award recipients(181,012) followed by Spain (125,611), France (124,361), Germany (86,910) and the UK (74,754)
Most Welcoming Places on Earth
Identified based on the share of accommodation providers receiving a Traveller Review Award 2024*, this year’s lists of the Most Welcoming Places on Earth showcases a vast range of destinations from across the globe. From enchanting coastal towns to alpine retreats and rustic desert gems, these locations will ignite a sense of wanderlust for the year ahead.
Indian hospitality has made its way to the top 10 Most Welcoming Cities on Earth, with Jaisalmer being awarded the ninth most welcoming city on Earth. Known as the ‘Golden City’, Jaisalmer is celebrated for its beautiful architecture and friendly atmosphere. The city’s charm lies in its vibrant culture and friendly locals, making it a top destination that seamlessly blends historical heritage with a welcoming community.
2024’s Most Welcoming Cities on Earth:
1 Arraial d’Ajuda, Brazil
2 Ermoupoli, Greece
3 Viana do Castelo, Portugal
4 Daylesford, Australia
5 Grindelwald, Switzerland
6 Moab, United States
7 Uzès, France
8 Mazatlán, Mexico
9 Jaisalmer, India
10 Fujikawaguchiko, Japan
MOST WELCOME ACCOMMODATION TYPES
In recent years, travellers have increasingly been looking for properties that offer an alternative to the traditional hotel experience. Globally, apartments continue to be the most-awarded accommodation type by travellers for the seventh year in a row, receiving over 710,000 awards. For the second year in a row, holiday homes (213,824) have edged out hotels (179,357) for the number two spot, while guest houses (84,715) and B&Bs (71,514) round out the top five most-awarded accommodation types globally. Villas saw the greatest increase in award recipients year over year at 23 per cent, followed by holiday homes (20 per cent) and campsites (14 per cent). Overall, there was a 10 per cent increase in awards granted to vacation rentals and other unique properties that offer an alternative to the traditional hotel experience, demonstrating continued traveller appreciation for a broad range of different kinds of stays and the unique hospitality they can provide.
Booking.com country manager, India, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Indonesia Santosh Kumar said “Jaisalmer making it to the top 10 list of Most Welcoming Cities on Earth is yet another testimony of the incredible Indian hospitality creating unforgettable stays and memorable experiences for all the travellers. In its 12th year now, the Traveller Review Awards are our way of acknowledging and appreciating our partners who have gone above and beyond to create exceptional experiences for guests and play a critical role in our mission of making it easier for everyone to experience the world.”
Digital
Content India 2026 opens with a copro pitch, a spice evangelist and a £10,000 prize for Indian storytelling
Dish TV and C21Media’s three-day summit puts seven ambitious projects before an international jury, and two walk away with serious development money
MUMBAI: India’s content industry gathered in Mumbai this March for Content India 2026, a three-day summit organised by Dish TV in partnership with C21Media, and it wasted no time making a statement. The event opened with a Copro Pitch that put seven scripted and unscripted television concepts before an international panel of judges, and by the end of it, two projects had walked away with £10,000 each in marketing prize money from C21Media to support development and international promotion.
The jury, comprising Frank Spotnitz, Fiona Campbell, Rashmi Bajpai, Bal Samra and Rachel Glaister, evaluated a shortlist that ranged from a dark Mumbai comedy-drama about mental health (Dirty Minds, created by Sundar Aaron) to a Delhi coming-of-age mystery (Djinn Patrol, by Neha Sharma and Kilian Irwin), a techno-thriller about a teenage gaming prodigy (Kanpur X Satori, by Suchita Bhatia), an investigative crime drama blending mythology and modern thriller (The Age of Kali, by Shivani Bhatija), a documentary on India’s spice heritage (The Masala Quest, hosted by Sarina Kamini), a documentary on competitive gaming (Respawn: India’s Esports Revolution, by George Mangala Thomas and Sangram Mawari), and a reality-horror competition merging gaming and immersive fear (Scary Goose, by Samar Iqbal).
The session was hosted by Mayank Shekhar.
The two winners were Djinn Patrol, backed by Miura Kite, formerly of Participant Media and known for Chinatown and Keep Sweet: Pray & Obey, with Jaya Entertainment, producers of Real Kashmir Football Club, also attached; and The Masala Quest, created and hosted by Sarina Kamini, an Indian-Australian cook, author and self-described “spice evangelist.”
The summit also unveiled the Content India Trends Report, whose findings made for bracing reading. Daoud Jackson, senior analyst at OMDIA, set the tone: “By 2030, online video in India will nearly double the revenue of traditional TV, becoming the main driver of growth.” He noted that in 2025, India produced a quarter of all YouTube videos globally, overtaking the United States, while Indians collectively spend 117 years daily on YouTube and 72 years on Instagram. Traditional subscription TV is declining as free TV and connected TV gain ground, forcing broadcasters to innovate. “AI-generated content is just 2 per cent of engagement,” Jackson added, “highlighting the dominance of high-quality human content. The key for Indian media companies is scaling while monetising effectively from day one.”
Hannah Walsh, principal analyst at Ampere Analysis, added hard numbers to the picture. India produced over 24,000 titles in January 2026 alone, with 19,000 available internationally. The country now accounts for 12 per cent of Asia-Pacific content spend, up from 8 per cent in 2021, outpacing both Japan and China. Key exporters include JioStar, Zee Entertainment, Sony India, Amazon and Netflix, delivering over 7,500 Indian-produced titles abroad each year. The top importing markets are Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, the United States and the Philippines. Scripted content dominates globally at 88 per cent, with crime dramas and children’s and family titles performing particularly strongly.
Manoj Dobhal, chief executive and executive director of Dish TV India, framed the summit’s ambition squarely. “Stories don’t need translation. They need a platform, discovery, and reach, local or global,” he said. “India produces more movies than any country, our streaming platforms compete globally, and our tech and creators win international awards. Yet fragmentation slows growth. Producers, platforms, and tech move in different lanes. We need shared spaces, collaboration, and an ecosystem where ideas, technology, and people meet. That is why we built Content India.”
The data, the pitches and the prize money all pointed to the same conclusion: India is not waiting for the world to discover its stories. It is building the infrastructure to sell them.
