Jersey has today been named among the ten best rated islands in Europe in the 2016 Travellers’ Choice™ awards for Islands, announced by TripAdvisor^®, the travel planning and booking site.

Jersey ranked ahead of Italy’s Capri to be named the ninth best rated island in Europe, also making it the number one island in the UK and Channel Isles.

The annual awards are based on the millions of valuable reviews and opinions from TripAdvisor travellers across the globe. Winners were determined using an algorithm that took into account the quantity and quality of reviews and ratings for hotels, restaurants and attractions on islands worldwide, gathered over a 12-month period, as well as traveller booking interest on TripAdvisor.

This year, the title of number one in the world goes to the beautiful Maui in Hawaii, where the average hotel room rate bookable on TripAdvisor is £233 a night. With its golden beaches and enticing bamboo forests, Maui is a popular destination for sun worshippers and nature lovers. Travellers will find breathtaking views of the island at the top of the Haleakala Crater, a dormant volcano that marks the highest point on Maui at 10,000 feet above sea level. Travellers with an adventurous streak can experience the crater with a Maui Haleakala Day Bike Tour, bookable on TripAdvisor for £93. The 26-mile tour begins at the entrance of Haleakala National Park, reaches the summit of Haleakala and ends at Paia Beach Park.

Among the world’s top -rated islands, Phuket offers the best hotel value with average room rates on TripAdvisor at less than £47 a night.

“While the thought of an island getaway might seem like a budget-busting trip, the average rates to book hotels on TripAdvisor for this year’s award-winning islands say otherwise,” commented TripAdvisor spokesperson, James Kay, “Hotel rates on TripAdvisor for both Bali and Phuket are well under £100 a night and for the pricier destinations on the list, there are still deals to be had if travellers consider the season when booking. For example, by visiting Maui, the world’s best rated island, in the autumn versus winter, travellers could save 31% on hotel bills.”

Jersey flying the flag for the UK and Channel Isles

In the Europe category, Santorini claimed the top prize for the second year running, followed by Majorca in second place. While Jersey, the only island in the UK and Channel Isles to make it into the Europe top ten, claimed ninth place.

Jersey is the largest and southernmost of the Channel Islands, and boasts spectacular scenery, stunning beaches, and an enviable record for sunshine. For those looking to travel there, the average hotel price per night available to book on TripAdvisor is £124.

Keith Beecham, CEO of Visit Jersey, said, “It’s great to see the hard work of Jersey’s tourism industry paying off once again in 2016. It is a testament to the friendly welcome our visitors receive from our tourism businesses and island community.”

Scotland boasts most winners in UK and Channel Islands

In the UK and Channel Islands category, after Jersey, the Isle of Wight was named runner up, while Scotland scooped the most awards, with Isle of Skye, Isle of Arran, Mainland Orkney and Lewis and Harris taking third, seventh, eighth and ninth place respectively.

2016 TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Islands – world winners:

For travellers planning an escape to a Travellers’ Choice Island in the world winners list, TripAdvisor has identified average hotel rates, highly-rated hotels bookable on TripAdvisor and “don’t miss attractions” for travellers to check out on their trip.

1. Maui, Hawaii, United States – Average nightly rate of all hotels bookable on TripAdvisor in Maui: £233

Average seasonal hotel rates: Spring: £244 Summer: £239 Autumn: £222 Winter: £291

Highly rated bookable hotel: Montage Kapalua Bay

2. Santorini, Greece – Average nightly rate of all hotels bookable on TripAdvisor in Santorini: £158

Average seasonal hotel rates: Spring: £117 Summer: £181 Autumn: £138 Winter: £131

Highly rated bookable hotel:Anastasis Apartments

3. Jamaica, Caribbean - Average nightly rate of all hotels bookable on TripAdvisor in Jamaica: £166

Average seasonal hotel rates: Spring: £185 Summer: £165 Autumn: £160 Winter: £215

Highly rated bookable hotel: Geejam

4. Providenciales, Turks and Caicos, Caribbean – Average nightly rate of all hotels bookable on TripAdvisor in Providenciales: £327

Average seasonal hotel rates: Spring: £426 Summer: £299 Autumn: £318 Winter: £492

Highly rated bookable hotel: The Tuscany

5. Bali, Indonesia – Average nightly rate of all hotels bookable on TripAdvisor in Bali: £72

Average seasonal hotel rates: Spring: £65 Summer: £75 Autumn: £70 Winter: £70

Highly rated bookable hotel: Luna2 Studiotel

6. Majorca, Spain – Average nightly rate of all hotels bookable on TripAdvisor in Majorca: £115

Average seasonal hotel rates: Spring: £102 Summer: £122 Autumn: £114 Winter: £141

Highly rated bookable hotel: Hotel Salvia

7. Mauritius – Average nightly rate of all hotels bookable on TripAdvisor in Mauritius: £136

Average seasonal hotel rates: Spring: £152 Summer: £130 Autumn: £166 Winter: £201

Highly rated bookable hotel: Lux* Belle Mare

8. Phuket, Thailand – Average nightly rate of all hotels bookable on TripAdvisor in Phuket: £47

Average seasonal hotel rates: Spring: £54 Summer: £46 Autumn: £59 Winter: £89

Highly rated bookable hotel: Trisara Phuket

9. Bora Bora, French Polynesia – Average nightly rate of all hotels bookable on TripAdvisor in Bora Bora: £447

Average seasonal hotel rates: Spring: £418 Summer: £457 Autumn: £452 Winter: £393

Highly rated bookable hotel: Sofitel Bora Bora Private Island

10.Fernando de Noronha, Brazil – Average nightly rate of all hotels bookable on TripAdvisor in Fernando de Noronha: £277

Average seasonable hotel rates: Spring: £264 Summer: £282 Autumn £298 Winter: £317

Highly rated bookable hotel: Dolphin Hotel

Other notable 2016 Travellers’ Choice Islands winners and average room rates:

For the complete list of 2016 Travellers' Choice Islands winners, as well as reviews and candid traveller photos, go to:http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/TravellersChoice-Islands.

Notes to editors:

¹Average nightly rates of all bookable properties in each destination are based on TripAdvisor pricing data for April 1 through September 30, 2016, aggregated from booking partners, including online travel agencies and direct hotel suppliers.

²Average seasonal hotel rates are based on TripAdvisor data for December 31, 2015 through November 30, 2016, for all hotels on each island. Rates are aggregated from booking partners, including online travel agencies and direct hotel suppliers.

About TripAdvisor

TripAdvisor^® is the world's largest travel site**, enabling travellers to plan and book the perfect trip. TripAdvisor offers advice from millions of travellers and a wide variety of travel choices and planning features with seamless links to booking tools that check hundreds of websites to find hotel prices. TripAdvisor branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world, reaching 350 million unique monthly visitors***, and 320 million reviews and opinions covering 6.2 million accommodations, restaurants and attractions. The sites operate in 48 markets worldwide.

TripAdvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ:TRIP), through its subsidiaries, manages and operates websites under 23 other travel media brands:

www.airfarewatchdog.com, www.bookingbuddy.com, www.cruisecritic.com, www.everytrail.com, www.familyvacationcritic.com,www.flipkey.com, www.thefork.com (including www.lafourchette.com, www.eltenedor.com, www.iens.nl, www.besttables.com andwww.dimmi.com.au), www.gateguru.com, www.holidaylettings.co.uk, www.holidaywatchdog.com, www.independenttraveler.com,www.jetsetter.com, www.niumba.com, www.onetime.com, www.oyster.com, www.seatguru.com, www.smartertravel.com,www.tingo.com, www.travelpod.com, www.tripbod.com, www.vacationhomerentals.com, www.viator.com, andwww.virtualtourist.com.

**Source: comScore Media Metrix for TripAdvisor Sites, worldwide, November 2015

***Source: TripAdvisor log files, Q3 2015