Popular beach 'one of world's most overrated' – 31% of visitors say it's dirty
Despite the UK's renown for its picturesque coastal retreats, one of its famed beaches has unfortunately found itself on a global list for less than flattering reasons. Bournemouth Beach has been ranked among the world's most overrated beaches, drawing criticism from both British and international tourists.
Cloudwards experts scrutinised TripAdvisor reviews for 200 of the globe's most frequented beaches. They explained their methodology: "We used complaint-related keywords like 'dirty', 'overcrowded', 'long queues', 'noise', and 'disruption' to filter the reviews, then looked at how frequently they were applied to each beach to calculate an overall 'complaint score."
Bournemouth Beach, nestled in Dorset, landed in the top five of this less desirable ranking. The beach is known for its seven-mile stretch of sand, crystal clear waters, and striking cliffs. The beach even boasts its own micro-climate, offering some of the warmest sea temperatures in the UK.
Whether you're lounging on the sand, exploring the pier, savouring local cuisine, or engaging in water sports, there's something for everyone throughout the year. However, this recent study has labelled the beach as "overrated", reports the Express.
Bournemouth beach received a total complaint score of 65.1/100 (with 100 being the worst). The study revealed that 31.7% of reviews claimed the beach is dirty, 52.5% complained it is overcrowded, 10.2% grumbled about long queues, and 5.6% remarked on high noise levels.
However, Bournemouth Beach fared better than some US beaches, with Waikiki Beach in Hawaii earning a complaint score of 100/100, making it the "most complained-about beach worldwide".
The expert's assessment of Waikiki Beach highlighted overcrowding as the main issue (67.3% of complaints), followed by cleanliness concerns (15.9%), and to a lesser extent, long queues and noise.
According to TripAdvisor, Bournemouth beach boasts an average rating of 4.5 bubbles from over 9,000 reviewers. However, a glance at the comments reveals a less rosy picture, with the most recent review (June 2025) being decidedly negative.
The disgruntled visitor wrote: "Dirty rundown, no pride in the area. Also got fined £100 for putting a cigarette on a planter full of buts, no bins, little jobsworth won't be going again, nothing like it used to be."
Another reviewer remarked: "Great beach, but some tourists are animals, leaving litter everywhere. I was helping out with beach clean for Marine Conservation for my daughter and as soon as the beach was done, it was covered in beer cans, plastic debris, vapes, and numerous wet wipes, broken glass, Cigarette ends everywhere."
One visitor expressed their disappointment with Bournemouth's main beach, noting the overcrowding issue. They commented: "We've been to Bournemouth many times and love the area in general but really disappointed with the main beach area on our last visit.
"We'd gone late afternoon, having spent the day at one of the smaller beaches (which was lovely), so I realise the beach and facilities will have taken a hammering over such a busy day, but it was smelly and dirty."
The top 10 most overrated beaches in the world
Ranking
Beach
Country
Score
Dirty
Crowded
Queues
Noise
1
Waikiki Beach
USA
100
15.9%
67.3%
7.6%
9.2%
2
Venice Beach
USA
89.7
60.6%
20.7%
6.8%
12%
3
Playa Manuel Antonio
Costa Rica
73.5
10.4%
56.2%
26%
7.4%
4
Clearwater Beach
USA
65.5
18.6%
64.6%
8.3%
8.5%
5
Bournemouth Beach
UK
65.1
31.7%
52.5%
10.2%
5.6%
6
La Jolla Cove
USA
64.3
57.9%
30.4%
6.7%
4.9%
7
Elafonissi Beach
Greece
60.3
9.8%
73.4%
14.4%
2.4%
8
Magens Bay Beach
Virgin Islands
58.1
12.4%
62.2%
16.9%
8.5%
9
Bondi Beach
Australia
57.1
13%
75.9%
7.8%
3.4%
10
Maho Beach
Sint Maarten
57
6.8%
43.8%
11.3%
38.2%
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