Sunny Days Ahead: Tripadvisor Awards World's Best Beaches

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Feb 21, 2024, 07:00 ET

Portugal Ranks No. 1 Beach in World, Maui No. 1 in U.S. in Travelers' Choice Awards Best of the Best 2024

Tripadvisor Launches New Sustainable Beaches List

NEEDHAM, Mass., Feb. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Tripadvisor^®, the world's largest travel guidance platform, today releases its latest wave of inspiration with the second Travelers' Choice^® Award for 2024: the Best of the Best Beaches. Based on an analysis of all the reviews left on Tripadvisor for beaches globally over one year, the award reveals the highest-rated beaches by real people who recently visited. From rave reviews of breathtaking views to unrivaled cleanliness to watersport-friendly seas, award-winners provided the best overall experiences during this time period, and can be seen in full at tripadvisor.com/TravelersChoice-Beaches.

"It's hard for me to play it cool when it comes to beaches, where my all-time-favorite memories have been made. And I'm not alone: last year, Tripadvisor got millions of reviews for beaches—it's clear that our community absolutely loves them. But as our Travelers' Choice lists reveal, there's no one-size-fits-all 'beach day': Our top 25 winners alone encompass 18 countries across five continents. The top three beaches are all in Europe, ousting the perennially popular Caribbean from those spots—a sign that some travelers are eager to swap typical resort vacations for the coastlines of Portugal, Italy, and beyond." – Sarah Firshein, Head of Editorial at Tripadvisor.

Though winners span from Sydney to Seychelles to Hawaii, No. 1 in the World for 2024 is Praia da Falésia in Portugal. Set in the heart of the Algarve, the tiny fishing town of Olhos de Agua surrounds a sandy cove lapped by the Atlantic Ocean. This gorgeous stretch of white sand and colored cliffs is up from No. 6 in 2023.

Top 10 Beaches in the World for 2024

Praia da Falésia – Olhos de Agua, Portugal
1. 1. Good for: scenic walks, sunbathing
  2. Best time to visit: Spring is a great time to visit for more affordable prices and fewer crowds.
Spiaggia dei Conigli – Lampedusa, Italy
1. 1. Good for: sea turtle sightings, scuba diving
  2. Best time to visit: The spring generally has the lowest hotel prices. But in the summer, Lampedusa becomes more accessible via direct flights from mainland cities, as well as ferry service from Sicily.
La Concha Beach – San Sebastian - Donostia, Spain
1. 1. Good for: people watching on the boardwalk, families
  2. Best time to visit: The spring generally has the lowest hotel prices. Plus, beat the summer crowds.
Ka'anapali Beach – Lahaina, Hawaii, U.S.
1. 1. Good for: wildlife sightings, water sports
  2. Best time to visit: It's never a bad time to visit Maui. The most affordable hotel prices can be found in the fall, but winter brings unbelievable whale watching - even from the shores of the beach.
Grace Bay Beach – Grace Bay, Turks and Caicos
1. 1. Good for: sunbathing, walking along the soft white sand
  2. Best time to visit: Not only does summer bring blue skies, white clouds and shimmering water, hotel prices are generally the lowest June through August.
Anse Lazio – Praslin Island, Seychelles
1. 1. Good for: sunbathing, photography, swimming
  2. Best time to visit: Between April and May or October and November have calmer, less windy weather.
Manly Beach – Sydney, Australia
1. 1. Good for: walking, shopping the surrounding area
  2. Best time to visit: Comfortable temperatures and fewer crowds in Sydney come between March and May or September and November — which means better prices on airfare, too. But for those who want to warm up with the masses from winter back home, January is another great time.
Eagle Beach – Palm-Eagle Beach, Aruba
1. 1. Good for: sunbathing, jet skiing
  2. Best time to visit: With its location south of hurricane zones, there is never a bad time to visit Aruba, but going in the winter is especially sweet. While there is a slightly rainy season from October to January, the showers are usually short.
Siesta Beach – Siesta Key, Florida, U.S.
1. 1. Good for: sunbathing, families
  2. Best time to visit: Fall is a great time to visit Siesta Key to snag lower hotel prices and enjoy post-summer sunshine.
Varadero Beach – Varadero, Cuba
1. 1. Good for: couples, walking
  2. Best time to visit: U.S. citizens still need to stay up-to-date on travel policies and jump through a few hoops to visit Cuba, but hotel prices are generally the lowest in the spring.

In the U.S., winners span eight different states this year, from the northern coasts of Maine to the Pacific shores of Oregon, signifying that people all over the country have access to great beaches within driving distance. However, Hawaii and Florida unsurprisingly shine with the most award-winning beaches – and Hawaii leads with 10 winners, including the coveted No. 1 spot.

Ka'anapali Beach on the island of Maui has achieved the best in the U.S. title for the second year in a row. Nearing 10,000 reviews, Ka'anapali also ranks No. 4 in the world. This Hawaiian getaway has crystal clear waters perfect for snorkeling and surfing, against a backdrop of lush mountains. Visitors recommend the daily cliff diving ceremony at Pu'u Keka'a (Black Rock), held on the northern end of the beach at sunset.

Top 10 Beaches in the U.S. for 2024

Ka'anapali Beach – Lahaina, Hawaii
1. 1. Good for: wildlife sightings, water sports
  2. Best time to visit: It's never a bad time to visit Maui. The most affordable hotel prices can be found in the fall, but winter brings unbelievable whale watching - even from the shores of the beach.
Siesta Beach – Siesta Key, Florida
1. 1. Good for: sunbathing, families
  2. Best time to visit: Fall is a great time to visit Siesta Key to snag lower hotel prices and enjoy post-summer sunshine.
Poipu Beach Park – Poipu, Hawaii
1. 1. Good for: snorkeling, sea turtle sightings
  2. Best time to visit: Shoulder season is the best time to visit Oahu: from mid-April to early June or between September and November, when attractions are less crowded and rates are lower.
Hollywood Beach – Hollywood, Florida
1. 1. Good for: sunbathing, boardwalk, families
  2. Best time to visit: The weather in Hollywood is the most pleasant between December and April.
La Jolla Cove – La Jolla, California
1. 1. Good for: sea lion spotting, cliff walks
  2. Best time to visit: Temperatures in San Diego are at their best between March through May, and September through November.
Cannon Beach – Cannon Beach, Oregon
1. 1. Good for: photography (particularly of the monolithic Haystack Rock), wildlife sightings
  2. Best time to visit: Hotel prices are generally lowest in the winter months, but visit in June to catch the annual sandcastle contest.
Santa Monica State Beach – Santa Monica, California
1. 1. Good for: sunbathing, families
  2. Best time to visit: Hotel prices are generally lowest in the winter months.
Driftwood Beach – Jekyll Island, Georgia
1. 1. Good for: photography (don't miss capturing the beach's namesake driftwood!), nature-lovers
  2. Best time to visit: Hotel prices are generally lowest in the winter months.
Coligny Beach – Hilton Head, South Carolina
1. 1. Good for: sunbathing, biking trails
  2. Best time to visit: Mid-September is far less crowded than the summer, and still has great weather.
Ocean City Beach – Ocean City, Maryland
1. 1. Good for: families, surfing
  2. Best time to visit: Spring is a great time to visit, both for more affordable prices and less crowds, as many families flock to Ocean City in the summer months.

With 55% of global Tripadvisor users in a survey reporting that helping the environment is important to them*, this year's award includes a new ranking of Sustainable Beaches, following the introduction of Sustainable Destinations in January. As measured by a combination of inputs from sustainable data partner BeCause (via the Blue Flag program) and Tripadvisor traveler reviews, winners stand out for their commitments to sustainability.

Top 10 Sustainable Beaches in the World

Sandbanks Beach – Poole, United Kingdom
Radhanagar Beach – Havelock Island, India
Saundersfoot Beach – Saundersfoot, United Kingdom
Corniche Beach – Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Galissas Beach – Galissas, Greece
Nissi Beach – Ayia Napa, Cyprus
Mellieha Beach – Mellieha, Malta
Myrtos Beach – Kefalonia, Greece
Playa Blanca – Playa Blanca, Spain
Camp's Bay Beach – Cape Town, South Africa

With Tripadvisor's 2024 Travelers' Choice Award for Beaches released, beachgoers with an array of interests and preferences can draw on guidance from fellow travelers to incorporate these winners into their itineraries. Firshein concludes: "Whatever your taste and style, these lists are the perfect jumping-off point for spring-break plans that haven't been yet cemented, summer trips that bring together the whole family, and even those far-off winter holidays that beg for a beachy reprieve."

Note to Editor
*GWI Q3 2023

Methodology

The Travelers' Choice Awards Best of the Best Beaches honor travelers' favorite beaches worldwide, based on the quality and quantity of global reviews and ratings on Tripadvisor for beaches, gathered over the 12-month period from October 1, 2022 to September 30, 2023.
The Best of the Best Sustainable Beaches list was developed in partnership with sustainability data hub BeCause, utilizing data from the international Blue Flag program (BF), a leading non-profit organization of the Foundation for Environmental Education. Eligible beaches were awarded a Blue Flag for their specific tourist period (May 1, 2023 to April 23, 2024). Tripadvisor then overlaid its data by analyzing these beaches for English-language traveler reviews referencing sustainability, such as "environmentally friendly", "eco-tourism", "clean water", etc. in addition to requiring a four-bubble rating or higher and a minimum number of reviews over a 12-month period. The resulting winners were ranked based on the highest combined weighting of percentage (%) of total reviews discussing sustainability and average review bubble score over the 12-month period.

About Tripadvisor
Tripadvisor, the world's largest travel guidance platform*, helps millions of people each month** become better travelers, from planning to booking to taking a trip. Travelers across the globe use the Tripadvisor site and app to discover where to stay, what to do and where to eat based on guidance from those who have been there before. With more than a billion reviews and contributions, travelers turn to Tripadvisor to find deals on accommodations, book experiences, reserve tables at delicious restaurants and discover great places nearby.

Tripadvisor LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Tripadvisor, Inc. (Nasdaq: TRIP). The subsidiaries of Tripadvisor, Inc. own and operate a portfolio of travel media brands and businesses, operating under various websites and apps.

* Source: SimilarWeb, unique users de-duplicated monthly, September 2023
** Source: Tripadvisor internal log files

SOURCE Tripadvisor