For the last 12 years Condé Nast Traveller Magazine have asked its readers to vote for the best of the best in international travel. Phuket was the runner up in 2004 but have since fallen in the rankings.
The results are out and they show that Phuket is clearly moving up and visitors are more satisfied since 2004.
The situation for Thailand as a country is worse. Its ranking has fallen from a 4th place just a year ago to 15th in 2009. The political conflicts have played a role in this.
Best Islands 2001 – 2009
| Year | Best island | Satisfaction index | Phuket ranking | Index Phuket |
| 2001 | Barbados | 95.3% | 15 | 84.1% |
| 2002 | Maldives | 93.5% | 7 | 86.4% |
| 2003 | Maldives | 92.4% | 13 | 88.2% |
| 2004 | Bali | 94.7% | 2 | 93.2% |
| 2005 | Bali | 97.1% | 10 | 85.5% |
| 2006 | Maldives | 95.7% | 11 | 85.0% |
| 2007 | Maldives | 95.0% | 12 | 84.2% |
| 2008 | Maldives | 94.8% | 13 | 83.1% |
| 2009 | Sicily | 95.7% | 8 | 89.8% |
Best Islands 2009
| Ranking | Island | Satisfaction Index |
| 1 | Sicily | 95.7 |
| 2 | Maldives | 95.0 |
| 3 | Barbados | 94.4 |
| 4 | The Cyclades | 94.2 |
| 5 | Cuba | 93.7 |
| 6 | Seychelles | 92.3 |
| 7 | Mauritius | 90.8 |
| 8 | Phuket | 89.8 |
| 9 | Koh Samui | 86.8 |
| 10 | Cyprus | 86.4 |
| 11 | Antigua | 85.6 |
| 12 | Balearic Islands | 85.2 |
| 13 | Bahamas | 84.8 |
| 14 | Corsica | 84.3 |
| 15 | Hong Kong | 83.6 |
| 16 | Crete | 82.8 |
| 17 | Sardinia | 81.7 |
| 18 | Canary Islands | 81.4 |
| 19 | Capri | 80.7 |
| 20 | Hawaii | 79.8 |
Best Countries
| 1 | Italy | 95.6 |
| 2 | New Zealand | 95.2 |
| 3 | Turkey | 94.8 |
| 4 | Australia | 94.5 |
| 5 | France | 94.3 |
| 6 | Egypt | 94.2 |
| 7 | USA | 92.6 |
| 8 | South Africa | 92.1 |
| 9 | Spain | 91.1 |
| 10 | Morocco | 89.6 |
| 11 | Greece | 86.7 |
| 12 | Mexico | 86.7 |
| 13 | India | 85.9 |
| 14 | Canada | 85.7 |
| 15 | Thailand | 84.6 |
| 16 | Brazil | 83.7 |
| 17 | Argentina | 82.1 |
| 18 | Sweden | 81.7 |
| 19 | Portugal | 81.0 |
| 20 | Kenya | 79.8 |
Source: www.cntraveller.com
