Healthy Beach Index: The Healthiest Beach Destinations

Updated on August 13, 2024

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healthy beach index 2024 — Image by Healthnews

If you’re in need of some summer vacation inspiration, TripAdvisor has just released its 2024 Travelers’ Choice Award for the world’s best beaches. However, Healthnews decided to dig into which of these destinations is the best for your health.

The Ocean Panel’s research has shown that the ocean profoundly impacts human health. It has the potential to improve our health by giving us new medicines, technologies, materials, and better nutrition.

To help you find the perfect spot for a health-conscious getaway, Healthnews created a Healthy Beach Index.

This index highlights destinations that excel in clean water, biodiversity, air quality, beach safety, and accessibility.

Methodology

To create the Healthy Beach Index, we gathered data on 20 beaches that TripAdvisor ranked highly in 2024. These rankings were determined by analyzing the "quality and quantity of global reviews and ratings" on the platform over one year.

We then selected six key metrics and assigned weights (%) to them based on their importance: water quality (25%), biodiversity (25%), safety (20%), air quality (10%), accessibility (10%), and review scoring (10%).

Clean water. The clean water category tracks four types of pollution: chemical pollution, nutrient pollution, pathogen pollution, and trash pollution. A higher score indicates cleaner water.
Biodiversity. Aims to assess how successfully selected beaches maintain the richness and variety of marine life. A higher score means species have a lower risk of extinction, and all habitats are conserved.
Air quality (AQI). Air quality is an essential aspect of environmental health that affects human well-being and is selected by the city where the beach is located. We normalized AQI values to fit within a 0–100 scale, where higher scores represent better air quality.
Safety. Lifeguard services — trained lifeguards on selected beaches enhance swimmers’ safety and can prevent drowning and other accidents. Scoring criteria: 100 if the beach is lifeguarded; 0 if not.
Accessibility. Accessibility features ensure the beach is welcoming and usable for all visitors, including those with disabilities.
Review scoring. The overall beach rating, an average of the individual ratings given by users, provides a quick summary of the general satisfaction level among users. Scoring criteria are normalized by the formula = (review score / maximum review score) * 100.

Score = (0.25 * clean water score) + (0.25 * biodiversity score) + (0.20 * safety measure score) + (0.10 * AQI) + (0.10 * accessibility score) + (0.10 * review score)

Country/City	Beach	Clean water	Biodiversity	Safety measures	Accessibility	Annual average AQI	Review	Index score
Seychelles, Praslin Island	Anse Lazio	90	78	100	100	50	90	86
Costa Rica, Manuel Antonio	Playa Manuel Antonio	77	79	100	100	71	90	85
United States, Siesta Key	Siesta Beach	79	71	100	100	75	90	84
Portugal, Olhos de Agua	Praia da Falésia	73	72	100	100	78	90	83
Australia, Sydney	Manly Beach	85	72	100	100	49	90	83
Brazil, Rio de Janeiro	Ipanema Beach	65	73	100	100	82	90	82
Spain, San Sebastian	La Concha Beach	71	68	100	100	79	90	82
Cuba, Varadero	Playa Varadero	61	77	100	100	77	90	81
United States, Poipu	Poipu Beach Park	79	71	100	100	46	90	81
Greece, Crete	Falassarna Beach	67	59	100	100	66	90	77
Spain, Las Palmas	Playa de Las Canteras	71	68	100	100	0	90	74
Italy, Lampedusa	Spiaggia dei Conigli	70	64	100	0	67	100	70
United States, Lahaina	Ka'anapali Beach	79	71	0	100	56	90	62
Turks and Caicos, Grace Bay	Grace Bay Beach	60	74	0	100	81	100	62
Aruba, Oranjestad	Eagle Beach	72	82	0	100	34	90	61
Cuba, Jardines del Rey Archipelago	Playa Pilar	61	77	0	100	72	90	61
Mexico, La Paz	Balandra Beach	70	80	0	0	81	90	54
Iceland, Vik	Reynisfjara Beach	86	64	0	0	78	90	54
Cayman Islands, George Town	Seven Mile Beach	50	78	0	100	29	90	54

TOP 10 destinations for a healthy vacation

By choosing one of these destinations, you’re treating yourself to a picturesque getaway that ensures a healthy, accessible, and safe experience.

#1 Seychelles: Anse Lazio

Anse Lazio on Praslin Island is celebrated for its stunning natural beauty, with white sands, turquoise waters, and striking granite rocks.

Anse Lazio Beach ranks first with an impressive Healthy Beach Index of 86, highly influenced by its water quality score of 90.

This beach is lifeguarded and highly accessible. It features wheelchair-friendly pathways, public showers, ramps, bicycle racks, and restrooms for all genders and individuals with disabilities.

#2 Costa Rica: Playa Manuel Antonio

Playa Manuel Antonio (Index score 85) is one of the most visited beaches in Costa Rica. It stands out for its impressive biodiversity, with a score of 79, reflecting the rich variety of marine life in the area.

The beach is also well-equipped with lifeguards and accessible pathways.

Additionally, with an air quality score of 71, Playa Manuel Antonio offers a clean and healthy atmosphere, making it an ideal destination for a rejuvenating day by the sea.

#3 United States: Siesta Beach

Siesta Beach is ranked as a top three destination for health-conscious travelers, scoring 84 on our Healthy Beach Index.

It offers Mobi-Mats. These mats provide a firmer surface for individuals who need it to cross the sand, such as those who use wheelchairs or other mobility aids.

The beach is also known for its attentive lifeguards and clean air in Siesta Key.

#4 Portugal: Praia da Falésia

Ranked number one on TripAdvisor’s list, Praia da Falésia secured the 4th place with a score of 83 in our Index.

This beach in Olhos de Água is praised for its excellent air quality, scoring 78. It has perfect scores in safety and accessibility as well.

Although its water quality score is 73, Praia da Falésia still offers relatively clean waters, complemented by a biodiversity score of 72.

#5 Australia: Manly Beach

Manly Beach, the iconic surfing destination in Australia, achieved an overall score of 83.

The beach excels with a high water quality score of 85, indicating exceptionally clean water. It also offers top-tier accessibility with facilities like beach wheelchairs, accessible showers, and parking.

However, the region’s air quality is lower, with a score of 49, which slightly affects its overall health ranking.

#6 Brazil: Ipanema Beach

Ipanema Beach, one of the world’s most famous beaches, holds an overall score of 82.

The neighborhood of Ipanema is known for its cleaner air compared to the rest of Rio, reflected in its high air quality score of 82.

However, the water quality score of 65 suggests room for improvement in pollution control in spite of the beach’s vibrant atmosphere and cultural appeal.

#7 Spain: La Concha Beach

La Concha Beach, the picturesque shoreline of San Sebastian, has earned an overall Healthy Beach Index score of 82.

The beach is distinguished by its excellent air quality, with a score of 79, and perfect scores in safety and accessibility.

It also offers services such as assisted bathing, canoe rentals, public showers, and more, though its water quality score of 71 suggests moderately clean waters.

#8 Cuba: Playa Varadero

Playa Varadero, with an overall score of 81, is lifeguarded and allows beachgoers to enjoy reasonably clean air, with an air quality score of 77.

However, Cuba’s popular vacation destination scored lower in clean water (61), showing a need for improvements in pollution reduction despite the beach’s otherwise appealing and safe environment.

#9 United States: Poipu Beach Park

Poipu Beach Park is the second beach in the United States to make the top 10, scoring 81.

Lifeguards are on duty, and all-terrain wheelchairs are available. It’s well-reviewed by many, with a 4.5-star rating on TripAdvisor.

Yet, while the water is relatively clean (79), the air cleanliness has room for improvement, with one of the lower air quality scores on the list (46).

#10 Greece: Falassarna Beach

Falassarna Beach, a well-known beach in Crete, scored 77 on the Index overall.

It is a safe beach with lifeguards on duty and accessible strollers.

While it received good scores in coastal protection, it received lower scores in clear water (67) and biodiversity categories (59). Despite these challenges, Falassarna remains a popular and scenic beach.