Many beaches in the world are marked with a blue flag and are very proud of this prestigious title. But does everyone know exactly what this award means and why everyone wants to get it?

 

The Blue Flag is an internationally renowned environmental label trusted by millions of people around the world. The Blue Flag program is administered by the Foundation for Environmental Education and is headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark. To qualify for this prestigious award, a number of rigorous water quality, safety and environmental standards must be met and maintained. Note that the first beach was awarded back in 1985 in France.

 

In order for this or that beach to be awarded the "blue flag" prize, you must first nominate yourself. Further, the fund carries out a long and detailed check of the beach according to all criteria. There are 33 such criteria, and they include the following aspects: water quality, ecology, safety, information, service, accessibility, cleanliness and availability of slopes for people with disabilities. Such an award takes place once a year, and after the award, each beach is carefully monitored by the foundation in relation to compliance with all regulations. As a result of non-compliance by the beach with all the necessary important criteria, it is deprived of this prestigious title.

 

In 2019, 4,560 beaches in 45 countries of the world were awarded a quality certificate. Before the beach season, it will be interesting to know which countries are leading, thereby making it easier for yourself to choose a country for your holiday this year.

 

Spain has become the leader in the number of environmentally friendly and safe beaches. It is interesting that this particular country, for the 32nd time in a row, tops the rating of the countries with the cleanest beaches. As many as 566 beaches in Spain have received awards for the purity of sea water and infrastructure that meets environmental and other requirements. According to statistics, almost every fifth Spanish beach meets the highest quality criteria. Most of them are found in Valencia (135), Catalonia (97) and Andalusia (79), slightly less in the Balearic Islands (44) and the Canary Islands (43).

 

Greece also boasts a record number of award-winning beaches at 478, with the largest number of award-winning beaches concentrated in the Halkidiki area, as well as the islands of Rhodes, Crete and Corfu.

 

Turkey surpassed France in 2019 to rank third with 453 awards. The country has seen the fastest growth in the number of blue flags in the past 10 years, with most of the country's best beaches concentrated on the Antalya coast.

 

The top five also includes France with 393 marked beaches, which are located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region; and Italy, which boasts 385 award-winning beaches, mainly located in the Liguria, Tuscany and Campania regions.

 

It is also important to note that 15 beaches of Ukraine have also been awarded this prestigious ecological certificate, most of which are concentrated in the Odessa region.

 

Ground handling department manager

Yulia Shutova