There were no big surprises this year, although Spain and France were notable exceptions from the top 20. Portugal, on the other hand, is a country that just keeps getting better, with a growing appreciation not only of its beaches but its food and wine, and with lesser-known corners such as the artistically inclined Melides on our radar alongside the obvious hotspots of Comporta and the Algarve. Meanwhile, the wild, empty places of New Zealand – about to get another boost with the new Lord of the Rings series in 2022 – helped it come in second, and Croatia’s sheer variety of islands saw it challenging Greece for salt-flecked popularity.

Here are the winning countries as voted for by the readers of Condé Nast Traveller in The Readers' Choice Awards 2021:

20. The Philippines. Score 91.63
19. Botswana. Score 91.64
18. Indonesia. Score 91.75
17. Switzerland. Score 91.84
16. Australia. Score 91.97
15. Israel. Score 92.05
14. Ireland. Score 92.13
13. Kenya. Score 92.14
12. Maldives. Score 921.28
11. Norway. Score 92.30
10. Turkey. Score 92.41
9. Croatia. Score 92.51
8. Greece. Score 92.71
7. Iceland. Score 92.96
6. Italy. Score 92.98
5. Sri Lanka. Score 93.07
4. Marocco. Score 93.41
3. Japan. Score 93.82
2. New Zealand. Score 94.04
1. Portugal. Score 94.10

Here are the winning countries as voted for by the readers of Condé Nast Traveller in The Readers' Choice Awards 2021:

20. Indida. Score 90.29
19. New Zealand. Score 90.53
18. Turkey. Score 90.57
17. Israel. Score 90.71
16. Colombia. Score 90.84
15. Malaysia. Score 90.86
14. Peru. Score 90.88
13. Jamaica. Score 91.04
12. Bhutan. Score 91.11
11. Ireland. Score 91.50
10. Mexico. Score 91.93
9. Vietnam. Score 92.12
8. South Africa. Score 92.20
7. Thailand. Score 92.62
6. Indonesia. Score 92.98
5. Greece. Score 93.32
4. Japan. Score 93.35
3. Portugal. Score 93.39
2. Sri Lanka. Score 93.96
1. Italy. Score 94.05

Here are the winning countries as voted for by the readers of Condé Nast Traveller in The Readers' Choice Awards 2019:
20. Croatia. Score 88.83
19. Cambodia. Score 89.03
18. Ireland. Score 89.08
17. New Zealand. Score 89.11
16. Colombia. Score 89.41
15. Israel. Score 89.54
14. Tanzania. Score 89.70
13. Mexico. Score 89.70
12. Japan. Score 89.74
11. Turkey. Score 90.15
10. Vietnam. Score 90.46
9. Italy. Score 90.62
8. Philippines. Score 90.63
7. Greece. Score 91.18
6. Peru. Score 91.28
5. South Africa. Score 91.59
4. Sri Lanka. Score 91.79
3. Portugal. Score 91.94
2. Thailand. Score 92.37
1. Indonesia. Score 92.78