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Better than Oz: Bournemouth above Sydney in list of world's top beaches

Bournemouth's beach has been crowned Britain's best beach in this year's TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice Awards.

The popular family destination also ranked 5th in Europe and 14th worldwide, coming ahead of sun-soaked beaches in California, The Seychelles and Gran Canaria.

The annual competition ranks global beach destinations on the quality and quantity of traveller reviews over a period of 12 months.

Bournemouth Beach's TripAdvisor page currently has over 7,000 reviews and an average rating of 4.5/5.

In the UK, Scotland's Luskentyre beach was rated second best, followed by Wales' Rhossili Bay and Brighton Beach in East Sussex.

Councillor Pat Oakley, a cabinet member for leisure, tourism and the arts in Bournemouth, said that the town was "delighted and honoured to top the TripAdvisor list.

"We're especially thrilled with our international ranking."

Grace Bay in Turks and Caicos was named the best beach in the world, followed by Baio do Sancho in Brazil and Varadero Beach, in Cuba. La Concha Beach in San Sebastian on Spain's north coast was the highest rated beach in Europe.

Bournemouth Beach did, however, outperform idyllic holiday destinations such as Manly Beach in Sydney, Santa Monica State Beach in California and the Galapagos Islands.

The top 25 beaches in the world:

1. Grace Bay, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos

2. Baia do Sancho, Fernando de Noronha, Brazil

3. Varadero Beach, Cuba

4. Eagle Beach, Aruba, Caribbean

5. Seven Mile Beach, Cayman Islands

6. La Concha Beach, San Sebastian, Spain

7. Clearwater Beach, Florida, USA

8. Seven Mile Beach, Negril, Jamaica

9. Bavaro Beach, Dominican Republic

10. Playa Norte, Isla Mujeres, Mexico

11. Elafonissi Beach, Crete, Greece

12. Falesia Beach, Albufeira, Portugal

13. Fig Tree Bay, Protaras, Cyprus

14. Bournemouth Beach, Dorset, UK

15. Anse Lazio, Praslin Island, Seychelles

16. Manly Beach, Sydney, Australia

17. Santa Monica State Beach, California, USA

18. Angoda Beach, Goa, India

19. Kleopatra Beach, Alanya, Turkey

20. Galapagos Islands

21. Spiaggia dei Conigli, Lampedusa, Italy

22. Sharm El Luli, Egypt

23. Nungwi Beach, Zanzibar, Tanzania

24. Punta Uva Beach, Costa Rica

25. White Beach, Malay, Philippines