World's Best World's Best Awards 2024 Islands Travel + Leisure Readers' 5 Favorite Islands in Asia of 2024 For the third year in a row, the independent island country of the Maldives aced out other Asian island picks in our "World’s Best Awards" survey for 2024. By Elaine Glusac Elaine Glusac Elaine Glusac is a freelance writer and travel columnist for The New York Times. She has reported on travel for nearly three decades and has previously been honored as "Travel Writer of the Year" by the Society of American Travel Writers. Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines Published on July 9, 2024 In This Article View All In This Article How Voting Works What Readers Loved The Winner The Full List When it comes to relaxation, Asian islands deliver, according to readers of Travel + Leisure. In this year’s survey, they acclaimed powdery beaches, favorite city hotels, turquoise waters, and slow-and-satisfying travel across the region, from Indian Ocean atolls to lesser-known Pacific Ocean idylls. How Voting Works Every year for our World's Best Awards survey, T+L asks readers to weigh in on travel experiences around the globe — to share their opinions on the top hotels, resorts, cities, islands, cruise ships, spas, airlines, and more. Over 186,000 T+L readers completed the 2024 survey. A total of more than 700,000 votes were cast across over 8,700 properties (hotels, cities, cruise lines, etc.). Islands were specifically rated on the criteria below: Natural attractions/beachesActivities/sightsRestaurants/foodPeople/friendlinessValue For each characteristic, respondents could choose a rating of excellent, above average, average, below average, or poor. The final scores are averages of these responses. Getty Images What Readers Loved Perennial favorites Bali (No. 3) and Koh Samui (No. 4) made the list again this year. But T+L readers heaped praise on Vietnamese newcomer Phu Quoc (No. 2), the so-called Pearl Island of white sand beaches that stretch for miles and where fishing still sustains the local economy. “You can feel the genuine smiles of the local people,” said one reader. “It’s a must-visit.” Others championed Palawan (No. 5) in the Philippines, the largest of an entire province of isles beloved by island hoppers, scuba divers, and beachcombers. In addition to “beautiful sea life and corals,” wrote another fan, “the food and accommodations are very affordable.” But it was the remote Maldives once again that generated the most excitement in our annual survey. Read on to find out why. This Is Part Of The World's Best Awards See All Winners The Winner Maldives Getty Images Fan after fan extolled the nearly 1,200-island nation in the Indian Ocean for relaxation and romance, with crystal-clear shallows, teeming reefs, and standard-setting, over-water villas among its many atolls. “The location is just as beautiful as every picture you have ever seen,” wrote one reader. Many travelers loved being on (and in) the water, swimming with vibrant tropical fish, paddling lagoons, and diving with gentle whale sharks and manta rays. No wonder it’s a top pick for the most special occasions. “We went to the Maldives for our honeymoon and it was PERFECT,” said one reviewer. “We felt like we were in the middle of nowhere in the most beautiful place on the earth with the most beautiful sand, water, and wildlife.” T+L Reader We felt like we were in the middle of nowhere in the most beautiful place on the earth with the most beautiful sand, water, and wildlife. — T+L Reader Sakis Papadopoulos/Getty Images The Full List 1. Maldives Reader Score: 95.63 2. Phu Quoc, Vietnam Reader Score: 94.41 3. Bali, Indonesia WBA Hall of Fame honoree. Reader Score: 93.26 4. Koh Samui, Thailand Reader Score: 91.03 5. Palawan Reader Score: 90.59