A 4km stretch of coastline in the Caribbean has been named the best beach in the world.
Trunk Bay in the US Virgin Islands is ranked first in a new top-50 list. Famed for its super soft sand, crystal clear waters and colourful coral reefs, the stretch of coast on St Johns Island gives off quintessential Caribbean vibes.
Set in the protected Virgin Islands National Park, the beach is named after leatherback turtles – locally known as trunks – who flock to the bay for its sheltered waters. It also attracts oodles of holidaymakers who come to swim its self-guided underwater snorkelling trail.
“One of the world’s most picturesque beaches, this spot has clear blue waters, sparkling white sand, and a beautiful mountain backdrop,” said Savanna Crowell, one of the judges for the World’s 50 Best Beaches.
The list was compiled by sun care brand Banana Boat, which collaborated with 1,000 travel journalists and influencers to compile the best coastal locations around the globe.
Italy’s Cala Marilou beach in Sicily took the second spot on the list. Accessible only by boat or hiking trails, the small cove is surrounded by towering cliffs and lush greenery and is best visited off-season when beachgoers are likely to have the shoreline largely to themselves.
Completing the top three is another Caribbean shoreline. Meads Bay in Anguilla is lauded for its turquoise waters and sunset views and remains largely uncrowded most of the year.
Beaches in Australia, French Polynesia, Greece, Indonesia, the Seychelles and – perhaps surprisingly given the country's current civil unrest – Myanmar, round out the top 10.
Italy has three entries in the top 50, while the Seychelles and the Philippines have two a-piece.
The top 10 best beaches in the world
1. Trunk Bay, US Virgin Islands
2. Cala Mariolu, Italy
3. Meads Bay, Anguilla
4. Entalula Beach, Philippines
5. Voutoumi Beach, Greece
6. Turquoise Bay, Australia
7. Pink Beach, Indonesia
8. Anse Georgette, Seychelles
9. Green Lagoon, French Polynesia
10. Horse Shoe Island, Myanmar
New countries on the list this year include England via Kynance Cove in Cornwall, Japan via Aharen Beach on Tokashiki Island, Venezuela's Cayo de Agua and Panama's Cayo Zapatillax. Beaches in St Barth, Aruba, Curaçao and Myanmar are also included for the first time.
Less conventional destinations making the cut in 2024 include Iceland's Diamond Beach – famed for its sparkling icebergs and ranking at number 42 – and Norway's Puinn Sand Beach in the Arctic Circle, which ranked 18th in the world.
“Our 2024 list is a reflection of the countless days spent by our judges, Beach Ambassadors and World’s 50 Best team discovering beaches around the world,” said Tine Holst, co-founder of The World's 50 Best Beaches.
“Our list will help inspire travellers to leave the beaten path behind and enjoy the most stunning and relaxing beaches on earth.”
Lucky Bay in Australia – the world’s best beach in 2023 according to the company – did not rank in the top 50 this year.
The list spans countries in North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, and Oceania. There are no Middle Eastern beaches included on the list despite the region being home to stunning coastlines such as Egypt's Blue Lagoon in Dahab, Oman's Al Mughsail Beach in Salalah, Abu Dhabi's Saadiyat Beach and Dubai's JBR Beach which was recently named as one of the top 10 beaches in the world by BeachAtlas.
The best of the rest
11. Calo Des Moro, Spain
12. Le Morne Beach, Mauritius
13. Aharen Beach, Japan
14. Lanikai Beach, Hawaii
15. One Foot Island, Cook Islands
16. Playa Balandra, Mexico
17. Grace Bay, Turks & Caicos
18. Puinn Sand Beach, Norway
19. Cala Goloritze, Italy
20. Anchor Bay Beach, Australia
21. Gardner Bay, Ecuador
22. Anse Source D'argent, Seychelles
23. Freedom Beach, Thailand
24. Cayo De Agua, Venezuela
25. Praia Da Marinha, Portugal
26. Seven Mile Beach, Cayman Islands
27. Grote Knip, Curaçao
28. Horseshoe Bay, Bermuda
29. Fteri Beach, Greece
30. Maundays Bay, Anguilla
32. Boulders Beach, South Africa
33. Wharton Beach, Australia
34. Grand Anse, Grenada
35. Baia Do Sancho, Brazil
36. Kelebekler Vadisi Beach, Turkey
37. Colombier Beach, St. Barth
38. Playa Xpu Ha, Mexico
39. Kelingking Beach, Indonesia
40. Kapalua Bay Beach, Hawaii
41. Diamond Beach, Iceland
42. Pipe Creek Sandbar, Bahamas
43. Cayo Levantado, Dominican Republic
44. Henderson Beach, Florida
45. Bon Bon Beach, Philippines
46. Cathedral Cove Beach, New Zealand
47. Varadero Beach, Cuba
48. Kynance Cove, UK
49. Eagle Beach, Aruba
50. Rabbit Beach, Italy
Manchester United v Liverpool
Premier League, kick off 7.30pm (UAE)
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
Emirates Cricket Board Women’s T10
ECB Hawks v ECB Falcons
Monday, April 6, 7.30pm, Sharjah Cricket Stadium
The match will be broadcast live on the My Sports Eye Facebook page
Hawks
Coach: Chaitrali Kalgutkar
Squad: Chaya Mughal (captain), Archara Supriya, Chamani Senevirathne, Chathurika Anand, Geethika Jyothis, Indhuja Nandakumar, Kashish Loungani, Khushi Sharma, Khushi Tanwar, Rinitha Rajith, Siddhi Pagarani, Siya Gokhale, Subha Srinivasan, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish
Falcons
Coach: Najeeb Amar
Squad: Kavisha Kumari (captain), Almaseera Jahangir, Annika Shivpuri, Archisha Mukherjee, Judit Cleetus, Ishani Senavirathne, Lavanya Keny, Mahika Gaur, Malavika Unnithan, Rishitha Rajith, Rithika Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Shashini Kaluarachchi, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi, Vaishnave Mahesh
UJDA CHAMAN
Produced: Panorama Studios International
Directed: Abhishek Pathak
Cast: Sunny Singh, Maanvi Gagroo, Grusha Kapoor, Saurabh Shukla
Rating: 3.5 /5 stars
Water waste
In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.
Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.
A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.
The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.
Gulf Under 19s final
Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Brief scores:
Toss: South Africa, chose to field
Pakistan: 177 & 294
South Africa: 431 & 43-1
Man of the Match: Faf du Plessis (South Africa)
Series: South Africa lead three-match series 2-0
