What are these guys smoking?
Tea house and chill
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Definately smoking something -
âTaiwan was also ranked second in the âBest Adventure Destination, Internationalâ category, after Indiaâ
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How many people voted? 5? 
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Oh yeah, of course, every year. Taipei is great! Better than (insert all the Asian cities that are famous for tourism and not for Taipei 101 here).
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Taiwan-provided marketing dollars.
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I mean, Hualien is alright, but the second-most tourist-friendly/welcoming city in the world? It doesnât even have a real public transport system, and most things are dead after like 9 p.m. if I remember correctly. And Dresden and York and Mexico City?
The internet says Ushuaia is nicknamed âthe end of the worldâ. Wow, sounds accessible.
Apparently itâs from a booking.com press release. The small print:
Destinations were sorted by the total share of Traveller Review Award 2023 recipients when compared to the total amount of eligible properties in that city (accommodation only). Destinations also had to have an above-average amount of winners to be included on this list (500 award recipients or higher for cities) and were curated for geographic spread.
In other words, itâs another bullshit list. 
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Taiwan News, what a pile of garbarge.
A least give a link to the source. Have tried to find the ranking on Titan Travel.
If there is any such ranking, it is buried somewhere, not easy to be found.
âTaiwan ranks 2nd in Airbnb search growth for 2024â
I wonder how good the Airbnb experience is in Taiwan compared to other countries.
In other news:
âTaipei rises to become top destination among French touristsâ
https://en.rti.org.tw/news/view/id/2010362
Methodology:
We began by collating a list of the worldâs top 30 most visited cities from World Atlas. Medina and Mecca were removed from the list due to the lack of non-religious tourism. This data is correct as of 09/10/2023.
We found the total area (km²) of each city. This data is accurate as of 06/10/2023,
The number of child-friendly, vegetarian, vegan-option and fine-dining restaurants was taken using the Tripadvisor website, using the filters to collect results. The number of different cuisines was also taken from Tripadvisor to find the cities with the most diverse cuisines. This data is correct as of 07/10/2023.
The number of Michelin-star restaurants in each city was taken from The Michelin Guide. This data is correct as of 07/10/2023.
Each cityâs factor scores were normalised against each other to collect a score out of 10.
Source: Food lovers' index
About the Author (Ting Dalton) ; TRAVEL | FAMILY | FOOD | Linktree
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- Food Loversâ Index Ranking: Taipei was listed as the fifth best city for foodies in a recent analysis by Titan Travel, with Paris, Barcelona, Miami, and Amsterdam occupying the top four positions.
- Methodology Flaw: The ranking was based on the Food Loversâ Index, which awarded scores to cities based on the number of child-friendly restaurants, vegetarian eateries, vegan-option restaurants, fine-dining establishments, and Michelin-starred restaurants per square kilometer. However, there are concerns about the methodology, particularly the use of TripAdvisor data, which may not accurately represent all eateries in Taipei.
- Resonance Consultancyâs Ranking: Taipei was ranked 42nd out of 270-plus featured cities in Resonance Consultancyâs 2024 Worldâs Best Cities overall ranking. The ranking considered factors such as prosperity, population diversity, and prominence in international media.
- Praise for Taipeiâs Culinary Scene: Resonance Consultancy praised Taipei as the birthplace of boba (bubble milk tea), Mongolian BBQ, and Din Tai Fungâs Michelin-starred soup dumplings. The cityâs dynamic culinary scene includes markets, rechao (fast stir-fried dishes), and gourmet restaurants like RAW and Mume.
- Flaw in Data Collection: The indexâs reliance on TripAdvisor data led to omissions of well-regarded eateries not listed on the platform, highlighting a potential flaw in the methodology.
- Accessibility of Taipeiâs Culinary Landscape: Taipeiâs culinary strength lies in its accessibility, offering high-quality, affordable options, particularly visible in night markets. The city caters well to child-friendly options, vegetarianism, and increasingly to Western vegan preferences.
- Pricing and Diversity Concerns: Taipeiâs night markets compete with convenience stores and fast-food outlets in terms of pricing. However, there is a noted relative lack of diversity in food options compared to cities like New York or London.
- Criticism of Lists: Some, like co-author Katy Hui-wen Hung, question the value of such lists and argue that based on recent experiences, cities like Kyoto and Lisbon surpass Taipei as food destinations. Concerns over food safety scandals in Taiwan also impact perceptions of its culinary scene.
- Personal Experiences: American food enthusiast Stanford Chiou emphasizes Taipeiâs strength in accessible and affordable options, particularly in night markets. However, he notes a relative lack of diversity compared to some Western cities.
- Portugalâs Culinary Scene: Katy Hui-wen Hung highlights Portugalâs culinary scene, praising its simplicity, tradition, and food safety compared to perceived concerns in Taiwan.
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Side note: Din Tai Fung is making a fortune these days based on the number of people queuing up in front of their restaurants each time I am passing them.
Iâve been to three of the cities on the list.
Porto de Galinhas: This is a row of shacks on an unpaved road in a very poor region of Brazil. Lots of big agricultural fields but the people in the little settlements are barely able to afford clothes on their backs. I was surprised as I had not been aware that there was regions with this level of widespread rural poverty so close to a major city. I honestly worried that the driver was going to try to sell us. There were some guys doing capoeira on the beach and when we said hello and made some encouraging comments they threatened to beat us up and said something to the effect of âstop speaking Spanishâ. We - about five of us big burly lads- actually had to run to get away from them - 2 wee fellas but boy were they angry. Thankfully we won the race. But anyway how this place is able to appear on a list of âlas ciudades mas amigablesâ is absolutely astounding to me.
San Sebastian: Really liked it, this place is pretty damn cool. Really relaxed and friendly locals and millions of little bars selling snacks and a super cool beach.
Hualien: Been there about five times but still havenât figured out how to get out of the HSR station or where the city centre is, any advice? I did notice that the locals were very amigables though I have to say. When I got lost a full taxi stopped and invited me to squeeze in. Had a merry chat and when I tried to pay he was like: âna Iâm not working, Iâm just driving around with my friendsâ. The driver wanted to know where I came from and when I gave him the âlots of different placesâ highlander response he told me that âHualien is your home nowâ and slapped the wheel. I protested that I had only been there for a couple of hours and he swiftly dismissed my logic with a wave of the hand and insisted that Hualien was my home. And to think that all of this happened without even leaving the grounds of the HSR station is amazing really.
Sounds like an expected Hualien friendly person story as they are quite friendly over there but uh mmmm there is no HSR station.
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I assumed itâs some kind of parody post, but whatever the joke is, Iâm missing it.