Maldives ranked world's second-best island destination for 2026

The Maldives has been ranked the world's second-best island destination for 2026 in the World's Best Awards run by the American travel magazine Travel + Leisure, with results announced in July. The Maldives received a reader score of 95.38, narrowly behind Koh Samui in Thailand, which scored 95.64 and was named the world's best island for the first time. The Galápagos Islands came third, followed by Bali and Phuket. The rankings are based on a reader survey. Travel + Leisure says about 661,000 votes were cast, with islands rated on their natural attractions and beaches, activities and sightseeing. In its write-up, the magazine highlighted the country's coral reefs, marine life including reef sharks and turtles, and its beaches, as well as snorkelling, diving, surfing and spas. Other island destinations in the region also made the top 10, with Seychelles sixth and Sri Lanka eighth. The ranking comes as the government pursues its target of 2.5 million tourist arrivals this year. The Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation has not commented on the result.