• Trouble logging in? Send us a message with your username and/or email address for help.
New posts

Teresa

SoWal Guide
Staff member
Nov 15, 2004
30,639
9,455
South Walton, FL
sowal.com
JUST IN: Seaside has been named "Best Beach on Earth for Families" and is included as one of the top 30 beaches on earth in Travel + Leisure's first best beach survey.

The list started with 54 famous beaches, grouped by type, and voters ranked the idylls they love. One point came across loud and clear: you don’t have to travel far to experience a spectacular beach. In fact, U.S. beaches won out in almost every category, from seclusion to people-watching.


Best%2520Beaches%2520on%2520Earth%2520%2520Page%25205%2520%2520%2520Articles%2520%2520%2520Travel%2520%2520%2520Leisure.jpg



Travel + Leisure’s first-ever best beaches survey reveals where to plant your umbrella in the sand, whether you’re looking for seclusion or wildlife viewing.

From January 2013
By Stirling Kelso

There are an infinite number of beaches around the globe, but this year, to determine the best sandy spots, Travel + Leisure launched our first annual Best Beaches Survey—and asked savvy travelers to reveal their favorite places.

The list started with 54 famous beaches, grouped by type, and voters ranked the idylls they love. One point came across loud and clear: you don’t have to travel far to experience a spectacular beach. In fact, U.S. beaches won out in almost every category, from seclusion to people-watching. (You’ll have to travel the distance to reach the ultimate destination for wildlife spotting: Bahia Gardner, in the Galápagos Islands.)

Every traveler knows that the perfect family-friendly beach has to deliver more than just a picturesque scene. Beaches with wide sand, calm waves, and easily accessible amenities are what parents need when the little ones are in tow. Take Seaside Beach, FL, for instance, known for its emerald water and cruiser bike–filled streets.

Further afield, in the Caribbean, all-inclusive hotels and endless kid-friendly activities—snorkeling, bodyboarding, and sea kayaking—are some of the reasons that parents of kids and teens love Seven Mile Beach, in the Cayman Islands.

Those in search of an off-the-grid stretch of sand will want to note the beaches that T+L readers deemed best for seclusion, starting with Polihale Beach, Kauai. Its wild, seven-mile shoreline is accessible only by old farm roads. But voters also gave a nod to One Foot Island Beach in the South Pacific’s Cook Islands. Perhaps this beach is so alluring because the visit is inherently ephemeral: flip-flop-wearing travelers are not able to spend the night. Instead, drumbeats at dusk signal the last boat to nearby Aitutaki island, where a small airport welcomes four flights a day from Raratonga.

Read on for the top 30 beautiful beaches, both familiar and lesser known.

Travel+Leisure Magazine Jan 2013

See Top 30 Beaches on Earth | Travel + Leisure
 
Last edited:

Kurt

Admin
Staff member
Oct 15, 2004
2,327
4,979
SoWal
mooncreek.com
With this type of advertising why is it then that we need the TDC.
Quite often, articles like this are "created" by tourist organizations. Travel writers are invited, hosted, taken on tours, wined and dined, etc. Some articles are a direct result of such visits, and some are from relationships which are built with media over the years.

Congrats to Seaside - an organization which does a lot of great marketing on its own, and in conjunction with the SoWal TDC.
 

BeachRob

Beach Lover
Nov 30, 2012
161
65
Quite often, articles like this are "created" by tourist organizations. Travel writers are invited, hosted, taken on tours, wined and dined, etc. Some articles are a direct result of such visits, and some are from relationships which are built with media over the years.

Congrats to Seaside - an organization which does a lot of great marketing on its own, and in conjunction with the SoWal TDC.

It can be upsetting to see some public project incomplete, contrasted by an all expenses paid visit by a celebrity chef or food critic. But, Kurt is totally right. Schmoozing with the media keeps our beaches relevant, and well known. If flying someone in from a nationally published news source causes them to print that Seaside/Rosemary/Alys/Watercolor is super awesome, then I'd say they are doing their job. Those reports have shelf lives, too. So the TDC has to be constantly at work.

I just wish the TDC would buy ME dinner some time!
 

Kurt

Admin
Staff member
Oct 15, 2004
2,327
4,979
SoWal
mooncreek.com
It can be upsetting to see some public project incomplete, contrasted by an all expenses paid visit by a celebrity chef or food critic. But, Kurt is totally right. Schmoozing with the media keeps our beaches relevant, and well known. If flying someone in from a nationally published news source causes them to print that Seaside/Rosemary/Alys/Watercolor is super awesome, then I'd say they are doing their job. Those reports have shelf lives, too. So the TDC has to be constantly at work.

I just wish the TDC would buy ME dinner some time!


I don't believe the TDC pays travel expenses directly. Familiarization or “FAM” tours are an integral part of destination marketing. Accommodations are donated by bed tax partners for media. The partners give something they have plenty of (a place to stay) and get media coverage in return - very cost effective. Local retailers, restaurants, tour companies, etc. also donate goods and services to be included in the tour.

But If I were Seaside / TDC - I would have gladly flown in someone from Travel + Leisure to be named one of the best beaches on Earth - just being able to use that tagline is nearly priceless.

Come to Seaside - "Best Beaches on Earth" - Travel + Leisure Magazine.

And there is no shelf life on that phrase.
 

tsutcli

Beach Fanatic
Jan 14, 2008
921
109
Seacrest
My point being that Seaside, Watercolor/St.Joe, Rosemary, Alys Beach etc.( private, for-profit entities ) do this on their own already and would continue even if the TDC were not here. My experience at Watercolor was that we hosted many FAM visitors. The magazines, etc. contact us now in many cases when doing destination pieces. Stop trying to make it sound as if the area would shrivel and die if the TDC weren't involved. As others have said, we are past the saturation point of being able to safely handle the influx now.
 

Kurt

Admin
Staff member
Oct 15, 2004
2,327
4,979
SoWal
mooncreek.com
My point being that Seaside, Watercolor/St.Joe, Rosemary, Alys Beach etc.( private, for-profit entities ) do this on their own already and would continue even if the TDC were not here. My experience at Watercolor was that we hosted many FAM visitors. The magazines, etc. contact us now in many cases when doing destination pieces. Stop trying to make it sound as if the area would shrivel and die if the TDC weren't involved. As others have said, we are past the saturation point of being able to safely handle the influx now.

Sorry to ruffle you feathers. I was just trying to explain how the process works. I believe you are reading more into my comments than what I wrote. If Seaside got themselves on the list then that's awesome!

Please tell us more about your experience at WaterColor.
 
New posts


Shop SoWal Photos

Sign Up for SoWal Newsletter