One Hawaii island continues to affirm its peak desirability, securing the top pick in the USA for TripAdvisor Readers’ Choice Nature Destinations. This makes Kauai one of the best island picks in the world. The 2024 rankings also showcase the USA’s descent, with only Kauai taking a top spot in this category for a U.S. location. There were in total 18 places that scored. See the other finalists below.
Amid the discourse surrounding the significance of such top-pick lists and how they influence our travel choices, it’s clear that personal preferences and individual interests play a pivotal role in any destination selection, something that a mere ranking cannot capture comprehensively.
TripAdvisor says about these Travelers’ Choice Awards Best of the Best winners, “Fewer than 1% of TripAdvisor’s 8 million listings are awarded Best of the Best, signifying the highest level of excellence in travel. Whether you’re hiking through national parks or watching the sunset on the beach, these are travelers’ favorite places to disconnect in nature. “
Over-tourism in Hawaii and on Kauai continues to be a major concern.
More than 60 years after Elvis’ Blue Hawaii and jet travel put Kauai on the map, mass tourism has backfired, and the industry that was once stereotyped by iconic imagery has reached its limits. As we’ve said before, tourists have literally loved Kauai to death, and over-tourism has taken a huge toll on the island’s environment and people.
But Kauai is still beautiful, iconic, and accessible. In time, how to best manage tourism will evolve. New visions and images of a future co-created by residents, visitors, and the travel industry will evolve.
Quality of life and environmental focus issues aren’t new to Kauai or even Hawaii. It’s a global phenomenon from Venice to Bali and Barcelona to Machu Picchu. In the meantime, Hawaii has started to limit access by advance reservation and charge for access, including state parks and the iconic north shore. And in that, Kauai and Hawaii are absolutely not alone. Kauai joins other destinations in seeking tourism which provides more significant benefits for both residents and visitors.
We envision a Kauai tourism in which residents and visitors see themselves as essential elements of one ecosystem, with benefits and responsibilities creating a harmonious island for all. This is a vision where visitors and residents co-exist and co-create.
The latest Readers’ Choice Awards for nature destinations worldwide:
- Kathmandu, Nepal.
- Halong Bay, Vietnam.
- Hurghada, Egypt.
- Mauritius.
- Lombok, Indonesia.
- Kauai, U.S.
- Zanzibar Island, Tanzania.
- Grand Cayman.
- Guadeloupe.
- Kruger National Park, South Africa.
- Martinique
- Wadi Rum, Jordan
- Lanzarote
- Merzouga
- Roatan
- Kochi
- Cozumel, Mexico
- Ambergris Caye, Belize
How many of the top 10 nature destinations have you been to? BOH editors have visited three: Kruger, Grand Cayman, and BOH’s home island of Kauai.
Kauai has been my soul center since 1979. Such good ohana here. And it looks like the legislature may fix the high housing prices soon. Eliminating the STR vacation homes (I don’t have any) could lower property values by 20 percent and get the prices closer to affordable. Yah there’s some downside to that. But for people who never gonna move anyway, it might be the right answer to all the high prices and too many visitors. What think?
I’ve been to Halong Bay, Vietnam. It is a beautiful place packed full of tourist cruise boats of various sizes.
Kauai is a beautiful place spoiled by hiking to the constant drone of helicopters.
Anyplace Vietnam! I had a one way ticket, it went to hell right before I had to go. Would prefer to travel in the USA, that includes Hawaii, but the attitude towards visitors has soured that. I will go where the locals want my money!!
I don’t get it the “loving to death”. Kauai is isolated compared to the others.* The roosters took over after iniki, and a few cats (i help w community cats of kauai) but it’s not even close to maui or big island. Let’s keep it a secret…
* Except of course for Zuckerberg who stole 1/4 of it. And don’t think our natives forgot.
My wife and I have been on Kauai for a week now – flying back home today. Loved to death seems about right to me.
We have visited Maui, the Big Island, and Kauai in the last 5 years. Of these Kauai has the worst traffic by far. I don’t go on vacation to sit in bumper to bumper traffic and that is what we have had Mon – Fri during our stay in Kapa’a.
We came to Kauai for the hiking. On the North coast there was never a time we didn’t have a tourist helicopter overhead. We don’t hike miles away from roads to have helicopters drown out the sound of the surf. It was the same in Waimea Canyon – hiking to the sound of helicopters. Only on the south side of the Island did we escape the constant presence of helicopters overhead.
Been to South Africa, Grand Cayman, Cozumel, and Kauai.
In my opinion Kauai beats them all by a wide margin. There really is no place on earth that can compare to the spectacular breathtaking beauty of The Garden Island!!!
Just think Hanalei Bay, Na Pali Coast, Waimea Canyon and you understand what I’m saying.
For the eternal blessings of Kauai’s beauty, I say,
“Aloha ke akua!”
I wholeheartedly agree with your comments about Kauai!! I’ve been to 5 continents, and seen many of the places on the list, but none can compare with Kauai……my favorite place in the world!!
I have been to Cayman, Roatan, and Cozumel due to close proximity. Kauai stands out in my mind as the most beautiful place in the world. From Na Pali coast, Kalalau trail to Waimea Canyon and all the waterfalls in between. I can’t wait to go back. I hope it isn’t as crowded as I have read in recent posts but it is the most ideal place to see natures beauty and relax.
1997 Halong Bay, Vietnam
1992 Lombok, Indonesia
1993 Roatan, Honduras
2015 Kauai
I feel very lucky to have traveled a lot in the 80s and 90s before places got so overcrowded! I doubt I’ll ever go back to Asia now.