For the seventeenth consecutive year, readers of Condé Nast Traveler magazine designated Charleston a “Top 10” travel destination in the U.S. Charleston was honored with the No. 2 slot – topped only by San Francisco. This ranking maintains Charleston’s spot as the No. 1 east coast destination.

“It’s an honor to continue ranking so highly among the most notable destinations in the U.S.,” said Frank Fredericks, Marketing Chairman of the Charleston Area Convention & Visitors Bureau. “This designation shows that our visitors continue to be extremely pleased with their experience in Charleston. Whether their primary interest is culinary, heritage, culture, or recreation, the Charleston area offers a multitude of reasons to visit – and to keep coming back.”

In other local rankings, Kiawah Island was lauded as the No. 1 island in North America, while The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island Golf Resort took home top honors as No. 1 resort in the mainland U.S.

A number of the top 100 hotels in the U.S. are located in the Charleston area. Properties honored include: Charleston Place Hotel, The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island Golf Resort, Market Pavilion Hotel, John Rutledge House Inn, French Quarter Inn and Planters Inn.

Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr. stated, “Charleston is a distinctive destination, offering history, architecture, the arts, incomparable food, beautiful hotels and inns and unique recreation opportunities. I consistently hear from visitors that Charleston is their favorite place to visit and repeat visits seem to be the norm. Our human scale architecture combined with the natural environment of rivers, marsh and ocean offer a level of comfort and ease which we love to share. We are honored to have been at the top of the travel list for so many years.”

Condé Nast Traveler, whose credo is “Truth in Travel,” is a monthly publication that caters to the experienced, discerning and frequent traveler. Condé Nast Traveler’s correspondents, as far as possible, travel anonymously. The magazine has an audience of 3.1 million. For more information and details on this year’s Readers Choice Awards visit http://www.concierge.com/cntraveler/.