NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The top ten best family beaches in the US and Caribbean have been named in a new study.
Known for its turquoise waters and white sands, Idyllic Grace Bay Beach took the top spot, but it also offers lots of family-oriented activities, according to the study by luxury travel company Scott Dunn.
Blue Flag status beach Santa Maria in Mexico came second in the report, while Sugar Beach in Saint Lucia took the third-place spot.
Scott Dunn decided to undertake the research after noticing bookings for ‘Oceans and Islands’ (O&I) destinations have doubled year-on-year.
St Lucia and Turks and Caicos both account for 12% (each) of the travel company’s O&I bookings this, and Antigua makes up 9%.
Scott Dunn discovered that families make up over two-fifths (42%) of their beach vacation bookings.
In their recent poll of 2,000 US parents, it was found that demand for beach vacations is particularly high, with 63% of respondents saying they plan to take a beach vacation or go to the beach as part of a family trip in the next year.
To determine the top beaches for families, Scott Dunn created a list of 50 locations with very high Tripadvisor ratings. They assessed each beach on seven factors – including Blue Flag accreditation, safety of waters, and availability of family-friendly activities.
The top ten were then scored by Scott Dunn’s travel experts, based on their insight into busyness, ease of access, and how likely they would be to take their own family there.
Top family beaches in the US and Caribbean:
- Grace Bay Beach, Turks and Caicos
- Santa Maria Beach, Mexico
- Sugar Beach, Saint Lucia
- Carlisle Beach, Antigua
- Crystal Cove, California
- Ffryes Beach, Antigua
- San Josef Bay, Canada
- Tulum Beach, Mexico
- Hanalei Beach, Kauai Island, Hawaii
- Grand Anse, Grenada
Beaches that didn’t make the top 10 list but still come highly recommended for families include:
- Waimea Beach, Oahu, Hawaii
- Balandra Beach, Mexico
- Lanikai Beach, Oahu, Hawaii
- South Pointe (Miami Beach), Florida
- The Baths, The British Virgin Islands
- Santa Monica State Beach, California
Josh Peacock, Regional Destination Manager at Scott Dunn said: “Our research shows that beach vacations are more popular than ever, with families at the heart of this trend.
“Our research found that 96% of American parents think a beach trip is a good day out on a family vacation. Our findings also indicate a preference for stunning, safe beaches, and with most families traveling within the US, we've curated this list of top beaches for families in this territory.
“Our team analyzed the beaches based on several factors that stood out to us as the most important for families, like swimming safety, water pollution, local amenities and UV rating. Grace Bay scored highly in all these categories and so took the top spot.”
For more information, visit: https://www.scottdunn.com/us/inspiration/travel-trends/reports/2024/family-beaches
