Arugam Bay voted Asia’s best beach

Friday, 16 October 2026 00:22 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Arugam Bay has been ranked Asia’s best beach in the Condé Nast Traveller Readers’ Choice Awards 2026, one of four Sri Lankan beaches to make the region’s top 20.

The surfing destination on Sri Lanka’s eastern coast scored 98.84, the highest in the Asian rankings.

It finished ahead of Railay Beach in Thailand, which scored 94.44, and Coral Beach in Malaysia, which scored 93.33. Boracay in the Philippines and Nusa Dua Beach in Indonesia completed the top five.

Bentota Beach was placed ninth with a score of 88.33, Tangalle Beach 14th with 83.33 and Negombo Beach 19th with 78.92. Together, the four entries span different stretches of the island’s coastline.