NEWTON, Mass., March 18, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- TripAdvisor^®, the world's largest travel site*, today announced the winners of its Travelers' Choice™ awards for Beaches. In its second year, the awards recognize more than 322 beaches globally, including top lists for Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe, South America, the South Pacific, and the U.S.

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"For those fed up with the long cold winter, there's really no better cure than an escape to one of these award-winning beaches," said Barbara Messing, chief marketing officer for TripAdvisor. "Even if you can't go to one of these stunning beaches soon, just looking at the photos will take you away for a moment, until you can plan a trip."

Travelers' Choice Beaches Award-winners were determined based on the quality and quantity of traveler reviews and ratings for beaches on TripAdvisor gathered over a 12-month period.

Top 10 Beaches in the World:

1. Baia do Sancho, Fernando de Noronha, Brazil
2. Grace Bay, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos
3. Flamenco Beach, Culebra, Puerto Rico
4. Rabbit Beach, Lampedusa, Italy
5. Whitehaven Beach, Whitsunday Island, Australia
6. Playa de ses Illetes, Formentera, Spain
7. Anse Lazio, Praslin Island, Seychelles
8. Lanikai Beach, Kailua, Oahu, Hawaii
9. Rhossili Bay, Swansea, Wales
10. Playa Norte, Isla Mujeres, Mexico

Top 10 Beaches in the U.S.:

1. Lanikai Beach, Kailua, Oahu, Hawaii
2. Ka'anapali Beach, Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii 
3. Siesta Key Public Beach, Siesta Key, Florida
4. Hanalei Beach, Hanalei, Kauai, Hawaii
5. Wai'anapanapa State Park, Hana, Maui, Hawaii
6. Wailea Beach, Wailea, Maui, Hawaii
7. Hunting Island State Park, Beaufort, South Carolina
8. Manini'owali Beach (Kua Bay), Kailua-Kona, Island of Hawaii, Hawaii
9. Saint Pete Beach, Saint Pete Beach, Florida
10. Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve, Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii

For the complete list of winners from the 2014 Travelers' Choice Beaches, as well as reviews and candid traveler photos, go to www.tripadvisor.com/TravelersChoice-Beaches.

To see the best hotels for luxury, bargain, and more, as honored in TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice Awards for Hotels from January, go to www.tripadvisor.com/TravelersChoice-Hotels.

About TripAdvisor
TripAdvisor^® is the world's largest travel site*, enabling travelers to plan and have the perfect trip. TripAdvisor offers trusted advice from real travelers and a wide variety of travel choices and planning features with seamless links to booking tools. TripAdvisor branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world, reaching more than 260 million unique monthly visitors** in 2013, and more than 150 million reviews and opinions covering more than 3.7 million accommodations, restaurants and attractions. The sites operate in 36 countries worldwide, including China under daodao.com. TripAdvisor also includes TripAdvisor for Business, a dedicated division that provides the tourism industry access to millions of monthly TripAdvisor visitors.

TripAdvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRIP) manages and operates websites under 20 other travel media brands: www.airfarewatchdog.com, www.bookingbuddy.com, www.cruisecritic.com, www.everytrail.com, www.familyvacationcritic.com, www.flipkey.com, 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.virtualtourist.com, and www.kuxun.cn. 

*Source: comScore Media Metrix for TripAdvisor Sites, worldwide, December 2013

**Source: Google Analytics, worldwide data, July 2013

To view the multimedia assets associated with this release, please click:http://www.multivu.com/mnr/63180-tripadvisor-world-s-best-beaches-travelers-choice-awards

SOURCE TripAdvisor