The National Geographic Traveler Ranks Caribbean Islands with View of its Own

The National Geographic Traveler, an annual publication which rates the island tourist experience, and is quickly becoming an industry standard bearer, has released its most recent findings.

The number one score grabber, ranked best island in the world to visit with a score of 87, is Faroe, Denmark. The very worst ranked island tourism experience of those islands surveyed throughout the world and at the very bottom of the list is St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.

The top ranked Caribbean Island was Dominica, with a score of 77. St John received a score of 70, while St. Croix came in score of 53.

A total of 522 experts, associated with the National Geographic publication, as well as survey participant experts from George Washington University, evaluated a total of 111 islands based on sustainable tourism and destination stewardship.

St. Thomas fact finders for the publication described the island as “Catastrophic; all criteria very negative, outlook grim.” St. John and Dominica were both considered to have “minor difficulties.”

St. Croix, which was ranked slightly better than Puerto Rico, was considered “in moderate trouble: all criteria medium negative or a mix of medium negatives.”

St. Croix was described as having a “national and cultural heritage showcased in its National Park Service and National Wildlife refuge sites” as well as “Social and cultural integrity (which is) the most intact of the US Virgin Islands.”