PETALING JAYA: Keep on smiling, Malaysians. Kuala Lumpur emerged as the second friendliest city in the world, according to Big 7 Travel.

The capital of Malaysia is only behind Vancouver, Canada in the list of 50 Friendliest City In The World, according to a survey carried put by the global travel site on some 1.5 million people.

Other cities, which made the Top 10, include Bruges, Belgium (in third place), Taipei, Taiwan (4th), Hamburg, Germany (5th), Dublin, Ireland (6th), and Christchurch, New Zealand (7th).

Neighbouring South-East Asian cities to Kuala Lumpur, which made it to the Top 50 list are Chiang Mai, Thailand (11th), Siem Reap, Cambodia (20th), Singapore (24th), and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (46th).

"Malaysians are naturally friendly and nice to strangers, and Kuala Lumpur is the best example of this. The easy-going temperament of locals and their friendliness towards visitors means that it’s easy to make friends here.

"KL is a top spot for both tourists and expats, " Big 7 Travel wrote on its website.

The website also noted that these cities across the globe make one feel welcomed based on "how easy the city is to navigate or strangers helping you find your way when that pesky roaming data doesn’t work, to making new best friends in a local bar".

Big 7 Travel noted that Asian cities rated highly overall, with several US and Canada cities also making it into the Top 10.

Earlier this year, the travel website named Malaysia among the top 20 "most Instagrammable countries".

Malaysia emerged among the best travel destinations, including Penang, by CNN Travel for one of the best destinations to visit for the ultimate Asia experience in June this year, as well as topping the 2017 Global Muslim Travel Index as the best Muslim travel destination in the world.