Best beaches in the world: Rhossili Bay makes TripAdvisor's top 10 alongside Baia do Sancho, Grace Bay and Flamenco Beach

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It's a list packed full of glamorous destinations: South Africa, the Seychelles, Turks and Caicos, Hawaii, Mexico and err...the Gower, Wales.

Rhossili Bay in the Gower, with its expanse of white sand and beautiful clean swimming water, has once again made the list of the World's Top 10 Best Beaches.

The Bay, which curves northwards from Rhossili, a small village and community on the southwestern tip of the Gower Peninsula, triumphed against beaches in such glamorous destinations as Mexico, Brazil and Australia to be selected the ninth best beach in the world by TripAdvisor.

The Bay also beat beaches in Spain, Greece, Italy and Turkey to be named third best beach in Europe for the second year in a row.

"These awards recognise the best beaches in the UK and worldwide, according to the travellers that have visited and given them the highest levels of praise," commented James Kay, TripAdvisor spokesperson.

"To have three British beaches named among the best in Europe just goes to show how lucky we are in the UK to have such stunning scenery right on our doorstep."

Rhossili Bay also keeps its title as the UK's number one. Woolacombe Beach in Devon was named the UK's second best beach while Cornwall's Porthminster Beach took third place.

The best beach in the world was Baia do Sancho in Brazil's Fernando de Noronha, an archipelago with UNESCO world heritage status.

Sancho, which is located on an island 215 miles northeast of the Brazilian mainland, is a bay of crystalline water and soft white sand surrounded by vegetation-covered 250ft cliffs.

It came ahead of Grace Bay in Providenciales, Turks and Caicos and Flamenco Beach, in Culebra, Puerto Rico.

Surprising as it may seem to see Rhossili amid the exotic names on the list, the beach was voted in at number 10 on the list last year and regularly features in selections of the World's Best Beaches.

Cllr Nick Bradley, Cabinet member for Regeneration in the Gower said, "This is fantastic news! The national and international exposure that this award brought Rhossili Bay in 2013 was both appropriate for all those involved in its upkeep and significant in terms of the impact it has had on the tourism industry locally and nationally.

"Our natural resources and in particular our coastline are what make Swansea Bay one of the most attractive destinations in the UK for holidays and short-breaks."

Rhossili Bay famously featured in the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games, a youth choir sang "Bread of Heaven" live on the beach while it was broadcast at the Olympic Stadium.

The Bay has also featured in a number of television programmes - most notably Doctor Who.

Last year, it was voted the UK's number one beach, third best in Europe, and 10th best in the world, by TripAdvisor users.

TripAdvisor's Traveller Choice Beaches Awards winners 2014:

Top 10 Beaches in UK:

1. Rhossili Bay, Gower, Wales

2. Woolacombe Beach, Woolacombe, Devon

3. Porthminster Beach, St Ives, Cornwall

4. Hengistbury Head, Bournemouth, Dorset

5. Perranporth Beach, Perranporth, Cornwall

6. Longsands Beach, Tynemouth, North Tyneside

7. Weymouth Beach, Weymouth, Dorset

8. Fistral Beach, Newquay, Cornwall

9. Sandbanks, Poole, Dorset

10. Nairn Beach, Nairn, Scotland

Top 10 Beaches in Europe:

1. Rabbit Beach, Lampedusa, Italy

2. Playa de ses Illetes, Formentera, Spain

3. Rhossili Bay, Gower, Wales

4. Playa de las Catedrales, Ribadeo, Spain

5. Elafonissi Beach, Elafonissi, Greece

6. Cala Mariolu, Baunei, Italy

7. Woolacombe Beach, Woolacombe, United Kingdom

8. Iztuzu Beach, Dalyan, Turkey

9. Porthminster Beach, St Ives, United Kingdom

10. La Concha Beach, Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain