Hilton Head listed among world’s best beaches with Zanzibar and Fiji. Here’s why
Once again, Hilton Head Island’s beaches have gained international attention for being some of the best in the world.
Hilton Head recently earned a spot on Conde Nast Traveler’s “The 25 Best Island Beaches in the World: 2020 Readers’ Choice Awards” list.
South Carolina’s Lowcountry gem was ranked 13th, sandwiched between Seagrass Bay, Laucala Island, Fiji, and Fundu Lagoon, Pemba Island, Zanzibar. Kiawah Island less than an hour south of Charleston also made the list, which included about a handful of U.S. beaches.
Hilton Head is a “firm family favorite, with a full 12 miles of wide, empty beach (perfect for long bike rides),” the list said, also nodding to Coligny Beach being a “full-service place” with food and activities for all ages, while Driessen Beach is quieter while still boding a boardwalk, playground, and grills.
This title comes just months after Hilton Head was named the best island in the U.S. for the fourth year in a row by Conde Nast Traveler’s readers.
Earlier in 2020, readers of Travel + Leisure also named Hilton Head the 3rd best island in the continental United States. Hilton Head had topped that list for the previous four years.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic limiting travel for many people for most of 2020, Hilton Head experienced what one restaurant executive called an “endless summer,” according to previous reporting.
While tourist season typically slows in the fall, some industry leaders said it was the island’s most profitable September ever. The busier-than-normal season can likely be attributed to people having more flexibility to travel thanks to remote work and school, and 2020 was the first fall Beaufort County hadn’t had a hurricane evacuation since 2015.
The pandemic did affect life on the island with layoffs and business closures, both temporary and permanent, in the spring and summer, and beach access points and parking lots being closed at one point. In addition, the town asked tourists coming from hot spots to self-quarantine. At one point, several rental companies and resorts stopped taking reservations, while restaurants either closed completely or used a take-out model.
The island is also under its months-long mandatory face mask ordinance through Feb. 3.
The Island Packet reported that the total estimated economic impact loss from March 8 to July 11 was $310 million in Beaufort County, according to the Office of Tourism Analysis at College of Charleston.
