LONDON, UK, 28 February, 2023 – Tripadvisor, the world’s largest travel guidance platform, today announced the Best of the Best Beaches for 2023 as part of its annual Travelers’ Choice® Awards - with four UK beaches named top 25 in Europe.
Analysing the tens of millions of reviews submitted by global travellers over the past 12-months, looking at the quality and quantity of ratings for beach experiences, Tripadvisor has revealed travellers’ favourite beaches of the year.
World Winners
The world’s best beach, according to the Tripadvisor community, is Baia do Sancho, located on the volcanic island of Fernando de Noronha, just over 200 miles off the coast of Brazil. With a timezone just two hours behind the UK, this is the perfect spot for British travellers looking to extend their holiday and take advantage of remote working in 2023, moving their office to the beach.
Eagle Beach in Aruba, was named No. 2 in the world, one of two Caribbean beaches to make it into the top 10. Jumping to the otherside of the world, Cable Beach in Western Australia made it onto a podium finish at No. 3 in the world.
Island getaways are popular this year, with almost three quarters of the world’s top 10 situated in remote, offshore locations, from the popular beaches of Hawaii and the Caribbean to the more secluded coastlines of Fernando de Noronha, Brazil and Havelock Island, India. With the world list of beaches spanning the Americas, Africa, Europe, Asia and the South Pacific, this is truly a diverse, global selection.
Top British Seaside Spots
The UK narrowly missed out on a top 10 spot in the Europe list this year, with Gorleston-on-Sea, Norfolk, the highest ranking British beach at No. 12. New to the list for 2023, beating beaches across Italy, France and Cyprus, this lesser known neighbouring beach of Great Yarmouth is Britain’s best beach, according to Tripadvisor reviewers.
The three mile sandy stretch was the backdrop to the Richard Curtis film, ‘Yesterday’, and has hosted famous faces like Ed Sheeran and Danny Boyle. Located along the picturesque Norfolk coastal path, this Victorian seaside town is a hidden gem. One Tripadvisor reviewer remarked “this has to be one of the finest beaches in the UK - and I have visited most!”.
Weymouth, located on the heart of the Jurassic Coast, climbed five spots this year to secure 14th place in Europe, followed by surf hot-spot Fistral Beach, Newquay, which re-entered the list this year at No. 22 after missing out on a spot in 2022. Bournemouth Beach is another re-entry for this year coming in at No. 24.
“As a huge beach fan myself, I know the impossible-to-resist allure of sunshine and turquoise water—and certainly, there's plenty of that on this year's list," said Sarah Firshein, the Head of Editorial at Tripadvisor. “But there are some delightful surprises as well. In addition to the much-loved beaches of the Caribbean and Hawaii, our community is really looking to kick up their experiences, even exploring cooler destinations like Reynisfjara Beach in Iceland. So whether you're looking to pack a windbreaker or a swimsuit, our list has something for a wide range of travellers—and it might even convince the most ardent beach sceptics to embrace some time on the sand."
Best Beaches in Europe
These British beaches are in good company, listed alongside Spanish, Greek and Portuguese coastlines to be crowned as some of the best in Europe. But this year's winner is a slightly more surprising hot spot, with the No. 1 place being claimed by an Icelandic beach.
Reynisfjara Beach in Vik, which was also a new entry on the world list coming in at an impressive No. 4, is a beach like no other. With its world famous black sands and imposing rock formations towering over the shore, some may recognise the striking backdrop of Reynisfjara Beach from Game of Thrones. But with waves of up to 130 feet and freezing waters, this is a beach best admired from the safety of the coast.
Praia da Falésia on Portugal’s Algarve was named No. 2 in Europe, closely followed by Sicillian beach, Spiaggia dei Conigli, at No.3.
Spain secured an impressive three spots in the European top 10, with La Concha Beach in San Sebastian named No. 4, Playa de Muro in Majorca named No. 5 and Fuerteventura beach, Sotavento, on the Canary Islands, crowned No. 9.
See all the Travelers’ Choice Best of the Best Beach winners for 2023 here: tripadvisor.com/TravelersChoice-Beaches.
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Methodology
The Travelers’ Choice Best of the Best Awards honour travellers’ favourite beaches worldwide, based on the quality and quantity of reviews and ratings from Tripadvisor travellers for beaches, gathered over the 12-month period from January 1, 2022, through December 31, 2022.
About Tripadvisor
Tripadvisor, the world's largest travel guidance platform*, helps hundreds of millions of people each month** become better travellers, from planning to booking to taking a trip. Travellers 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 1 billion reviews and opinions of nearly 8 million businesses, travellers turn to Tripadvisor to find deals on accommodations, book experiences, reserve tables at delicious restaurants and discover great places nearby. As a travel guidance company available in 43 markets and 22 languages, Tripadvisor makes planning easy no matter the trip type. The subsidiaries of Tripadvisor, Inc. (Nasdaq: TRIP), own and operate a portfolio of travel media brands and businesses, operating under various websites and apps.The subsidiaries of Tripadvisor, Inc. (Nasdaq: TRIP), own and operate a portfolio of travel media brands and businesses, operating under various websites and apps.
* Source: SimilarWeb, unique users de-duplicated monthly, January 2023
** Source: Tripadvisor internal log files
For further information: EMEApressoffice@tripadvisor.com
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