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New South Wales is home to six of Australia’s Top 20 Beaches for 2020 – including the country’s best beach – as announced by Tourism Australia’s beach ambassador today.

Cabarita Beach, the laid-back surf town on the NSW Tweed Coast, came in at number one of the annual list launched by beach ambassador and expert Brad Farmer AM.

Other NSW destinations featured in the list include Wagga Wagga – the first inland beach to be included – Minnamurra, Fingal Bay, Neds Beach on Lord Howe Island and Diamond Head.

Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney Stuart Ayres said NSW’s iconic coastline was the envy of world and continued to attract visitors to the State.

“Many visitors to NSW choose to drive along the coast and stop spontaneously at one of our pristine, peaceful beaches to catch a slice of the real Australian lifestyle dream,” Minister Ayres said.

“It’s no surprise that six of Australia’s top 20 beaches for 2020 are located in NSW, and when you add the metropolitan icons of Bondi and Manly and regional gems such as Port Macquarie and Kiama, you’ve got a smorgasbord of beach bliss to choose from.

“There are also plenty of secluded, lesser known gems right along the 2,137km NSW coastline that visitors – and locals – love to explore.

“Our beaches are a huge drawcard for visitors from around the country and the globe. In the year ending June 2019, more than 17.4 million domestic overnight and daytrip visitors to NSW enjoyed at least one of our State’s exquisite beaches during their trip, which is slightly more than 1 in 10 visitors.”

Releasing the list in Wagga Wagga today, Mr Farmer said beaches were assessed on traditional academic-based criteria such as environment, water quality, cleanliness, visual amenity and social history, while another factor was ease of access from airports.

“Social media sharing is now a destination driver phenomenon, where people are travelling and exploring fresh and unwrapped experiences, either found through their fingertips or on roads less travelled,” Mr Farmer said.

New South Wales’ destinations received the following rankings: 1. Cabarita Beach; 3. Minnamurra; 9. Wagga Wagga; 12. Fingal Bay, Port Stephens; 14. Neds Beach, Lord Howe Island and 18. Diamond Head.