Panelists exchanged comments, which were kept anonymous to maintain survey neutrality during the rating process. These lightly edited excerpts offer a glimpse of panelists' varied points of view and the reasoning behind each score. They are not the views of the National Geographic Society.

Maldives (except Malé)
Score: 61

"Maldives are beautiful and unique from an ecological perspective. Underwater environment is of greatest appeal. There is little social or cultural mixing because the resorts are on their own islands (one resort per island). Some of the tourism plant is tasteful, but some is a monstrosity. Much tourism development does not promote ecological protection."

"Social impacts of tourism avoided by separation of tourists from locals on separate islands. Limited interaction between Muslim Maldivians and tourists."

"Tourists are not made aware of the locale—the Maldives are mainly viewed as a paradise location rather than a place where people actually live and work."

"While the islands have rebounded from damage from the 2004 tsunami, the Maldives are also suffering from rising sea levels, caused by climate change. Already 12 islands have been mostly abandoned and their residents moved to Malé, (around which multi-million dollar protective barriers, called 'tetrapods,' have been erected)."