Sailboats are moored on the Amelia River in Fernandina Beach's historic waterfront district. | Dan Scanlan, Jacksonville Today
Published on May 6, 2024 at 4:39 pm
Amelia Island is the best island in the U.S. — that’s according to a recent poll by Global Traveler Magazine.
The accolade was decided by an eight-month-long survey reaching 850,000 Global Traveler readers.
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Gil Langley, president and CEO of the Amelia Island Convention & Visitors Bureau, says that’s because the Nassau County destination can attract everyone from locals to people from other countries.
Many visitors to the island are from Florida and Georgia, but the island also draws thousands of visitors from elsewhere in the U.S. and abroad,he said.
“We get about 35,000 international visitors every year from the United Kingdom and Germany,” Langley said. “We have a diverse base of visitors to our island.”
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The award will help draw more attention to everything Amelia Island has to offer — including events like last weekend’s Isle of Eight Flags Shrimp Festival — but Langley and the visitors bureau are focused on sustainability to avoid overcrowding on the island.
Other islands in Global Traveler’s top five are St. Simons & Little St. Simons, Georgia; Hilton Head Island, South Carolina; Marco Island in Florida; and Maui, Hawaii.
