Top 5 Most Beautiful Island Countries in the World

3. French Polynesia

Insider Monkey Score: 15

No. of Tourists in 2022: 260,000

No. of Tourists in 2019: 300,000

Percentage Change in the No. of Tourists Post-Covid: -%13.3%

The Southern Pacific country of French Polynesia includes some of the most beautiful islands in the world, like Bora Bora, Mo’orea, and Tahiti. Even during the pandemic, the islands only shut down for two 2-month periods, so tourism remained relatively strong, especially from its two main markets – the U.S. and France.

French Polynesia says it is to cap visitor numbers as part of a sustainability plan.The islands have proposed an annual cap of 280,000 tourists which came about as part of a strategy to market Tahiti, Bora Bora, and the other islands as a destination for high value, small scale tourism. Part of Fāri’ira’a Manihini 2027, the five-year plan focuses on boutique tourism and slow travel. The strategy tackles areas including air travel, cruise, and eco-tourism.