Different cities receive different marks when it comes to tourism, and the most important factor that is taken into account is the price-quality relationship. While some cities, such as Tokyo, provide great value for your money (and this is why they are being visited by millions of people on a yearly basis), others are rather disappointing.
The World City Survey results, conducted by the well-known tourism website TripAdvisor, suggested that when it comes to taxi services, Tokyo is by far the best city and it has received the best marks from reviewers. In addition to providing the best taxi services, Tokyo was also voted as the city with the best public transportation and the cleanest streets.
Safety also plays a major role when traveling abroad, and Tokyo is considered one of the safest cities in the world, based on the World City Survey. The study was based on more than 75.000 responses, and it included 40 of the most popular and most visited cities all around the world.
New York was ranked as the number one destination for shopping – however, the Big Apple is situated on the 28th place out of 40 regarding street cleanliness, and for a good reason! On the other hand, the friendliest locals can be found in Cancun, while you can get the best value for your money in the city of Lisbon. Other cities that are on the 2nd and third place regarding safety, taxi services or street cleanliness are Singapore or Zurich.
At the opposite end, there is Moscow – the capital city of Russia was ranked last in four categories regarding the top 40 world travel destinations. According to the results, the locals in Russia scored last on the list of "Friendliest locals" as many people claim, numerous locals are antisocial and the price-quality relationship is not outstanding either. As a matter of fact, Moscow also scored last on the "Best for shopping" list and the "Best taxi services" list. The reason why you can find so many vicious cabbies in Moscow is that the city is filled with unlicensed taxi drivers who drive ramshackle cars and also overcharge tourists.
When it comes to shopping, it must be mentioned that Moscow has scored last on the "Best for shopping" list for a reason, as here you can find numerous expensive eateries and shops, and end up overspending on cheap items if you are not careful. Moreover, another essential aspect that makes Moscow less friendly for tourists is the fact that museum entry fees are different for domestic and foreign visitors – the latter end up paying two or three times the admission fee for domestic visitors, and many travelers are upset because of this.
In conclusion, these are the most important results of the World City Survey. If you are looking for a city that is safe and has friendly cabbies and high-quality taxi services, then Tokyo is certainly the right choice. On the other hand, if you are looking for friendly locals that make you feel like home, you should pick Cancun, while New York is the best place to go on a shopping spree!