Blue Flag Sites

31 Years as a Blue Flag Marina: A testament to volunteer dedication

The Blue Flag is a well-known award across the world, providing a reliable guide to compliance with a series of standards on beaches, marinas, and tourism boats. The focus on environmental education is increasingly important as marinas transition towards better resource sustainability and ocean stewardship. Within TransEurope Marinas, many members have flown the Blue Flag for decades and marine sustainability is a topic being explored and developed across different programmes.

Raising the Blue Flag in Marina Punat, Croatia. Marina Punat is another Blue Flag awarded marina and a member of TransEurope Marinas.

Marina Port Zélande, a long-standing member of TransEurope Marinas and located on the Grevelingenmeer in the Netherlands, announced this season that they had received their 31st Blue Flag, one of just a handful of marinas in the world that can count on displaying this award consecutively for over three decades. Indeed, the Blue Flag, like TransEurope Marinas, was founded just over 35 years ago, making Marina Port Zélande an impressive example of a marina that has grown and developed alongside the evolution of the Blue Flag.

Marina Manager Peter de Regt described how the symbol of the Blue Flag, present throughout the marina, contributed to a high level of environmental awareness amongst the marina team, together with visiting and resident boaters. He emphasised the introduction of nature RIB safaris as part of their education programme, reinforcing the link between environmental education and waters sports.

International Blue Flag Director Johann Durand shared his appreciation for the new milestone:

Earning the Blue Flag for 31 consecutive years signifies a remarkable commitment to environmental excellence. This achievement, particularly noteworthy for a sector not typically reliant on such accolades due to an existing high demand, demonstrates exceptional leadership in sustainable practices at the local level.

Marina Punat in Croatia is another prime example of a Blue Flag Marina, having been awarded the accolade for a total of 27 years. Going significantly beyond the basic requirements, they actively promote innovative projects that contribute to the preservation of the coastal environment.

B. Renata Marević, CEO of Marina Punat, commented:

Marina Punat takes great pride in earning the Blue Flag. Since 1998, we have embraced this prestigious recognition as a guiding principle, safeguarding the natural beauty of our land and waters for future generations and elevating the overall marina experience for our residents.

Safety and innovation have proven to be the key drivers for Marina Punat with the development of digital systems for data management, firefighting and energy management, which reduce intervention time in event of an incident. Sustainable and green technologies were introduced early on, with the marina presently working towards covering a minimum of 40% of energy use via a solar power plant in the marina, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 13 tCO2eq. per year.

Blue Flag is currently preparing for new criteria, addressing climate action, biodiversity protection and pollution management in line with the Foundation for Environmental Education’s GAIA 20:30 strategy. With an additional review of the basic pillars of accessibility, safety, and education, the new criteria are expected to be launched towards the end of 2025.

TransEurope Marinas is an association of nearly 80 marinas across 12 countries in Europe. Facilitating cruising to new destinations, berth-holders based in member marinas can benefit from 50% berthing discounts across the network.  Members meet regularly to discuss and share good practices and to support the wider industry in working groups and councils.  

This text was kindly provided by TransEurope Marinas.
More information available at
www.transeuropemarinas.com.

TÜRÇEV's and Blue Flag’s 30th Anniversary in Türkiye

Between 7th and 10th November 2023, one of our leading member organisation TÜRÇEV held a national event in honor of the 30th anniversary of the organisation and Blue Flag in Türkiye in Kocaeli, Turkiye with the support of the Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality which is having nine Blue Flag beaches within the area of a metropolitan city.

During the Blue Flag 30th-year event, an International Panel discussion featured speakers from FEE Global (Johann Durand), FEE Spain-ADEAC (Virginia Yuste Abad), FEE Greece-HSPN (Dareia-Nefeli Vourdoumpa), and FEE Turkiye-TURCEV (Almila Kindan Cebbari). Following this, significant addresses were delivered by key representatives from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Ministry of Health, and the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change.

The schedule included presentations showcasing best practices from coastal municipalities and local associations relating to Blue Flag criteria and the responsibilities of local supervisors. The attendees were representatives from 50 diverse coastal municipalities, including beach managers.

Among these presentations, two notable best practices were highlighted from Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality. These included the monumental Izmit Bay Mud Removal Project area and the Ormanya Biodiversity Reserve and Educational Natural Life Park, representing significant environmental renovation and conservation efforts within the Turkish Republic.


The event included a field trip to a Mud Removal Project taking place in Kocaeli Municipality, read more here:

Blue Flag’s 30th Anniversary in Kocaeli Municipality, Türkiye - Mud Removal Project - Best Practice Field Trip

International announcement of Blue Flag Awarded sites - Southern Hemisphere 2023/2024 season

The second Blue Flag International Jury meeting of 2023 took place this past September, and we’re proud to announce that 193 sites from 11 countries have received the Blue Flag award for the upcoming season in the Southern Hemisphere.

These sites join the previously awarded beaches, marinas, and tourism boats awarded by the International Jury in the Northern Hemisphere round that took place in April, for a total of 5038 sites awarded in 2023 (4205 beaches, 711 marinas, and 122 tourism boats).

We would like to also congratulate the winners of the Best Practice competition for the Southern Hemisphere 2023/2024 International Evaluation. The final ranking is published below.


For the category “Accessibility / Access for all”, the ranking is as follows:

The Paradisus brand, managing awarded Blue Flag beaches “El Cortecito” and “Bávaro”, implemented am inclusion program, which gives work opportunities to people with hearing, visual or motor disabilities as well as elderly disabled people. The program seeks to incorporate people with disabilities in all areas of the brands operations. Paradisus also conducts sensitisation dynamics with the staff to create an environment conducive to their integration, such as sign language formations.

© Bávaro Paradisus Palma Real (Dominican Republic)

As part of a campaign of the presidency of the Dominican Republic on accessible tourism in the country, a series of informative videos were recorded. These highlight the importance of Blue Flag Beaches for the establishment of accessible tourism destinations. A recording team accompanied the Blue Flag National Jury, in order to illustrate that tourism destinations in the Dominican Republic are increasingly friendly for the transfer, movement, and enjoyment of people with disabilities.

© IDARD

In Praia Grande de Caravelas (Brazil), the site managers wish to give the possibility for people with impairments or disabilities to enjoy their experience at the beach with the adequate equipment, from the parking to the water. Amphibious wheelchairs and a bamboo ramp are available and allow a safe and accessible sea bath. The lifeguards offer their help to the beach users wishing to access the water. The municipality also provides special parking spots close to the beach facilities, as well as accessible toilets and showers.

© Praia Grande de Caravelas (Brazil)

These efforts collectively demonstrate a commitment to fostering accessibility and ensuring that everyone can enjoy beach destinations.


Once again, Blue Flag International thanks its valuable institutional partners EEA, ENAT, EUCC, ICLEI, ICOMIA, ILS, UNEP, UNESCO, and WCA for sharing their expertise and for participating in the International Jury of the programme.

The first Blue Flags have been awarded to beaches in the continental United States of America 

The American Shore and Beach Preservation Association (ASBPA), running the Blue Flag programme in the continental USA, Alaska and Hawaii is pleased to announce the first Blue Flags in the United States. The Blue Flags have been awarded to two magnificent beaches: Westward in Malibu and Delray in Delray. 

The awards are a testament of the sites’ continuous efforts and commitment to the implementation of the Blue Flag criteria. The awarded beaches will now offer educational activities to the public. Information about the activities will be posted on their respective sites’ information boards. 

 Annie Mercer, the Program Coordinator for the American Shore and Beach Preservation Association (ASBPA), says:  

“Our sites have worked hard for several months to implement and maintain more than 30 diverse criteria to achieve award status. Their staff and communities can raise their flags with pride for going above and beyond US standards to receive international recognition for sustainable management practices.” 

The Blue Flags will fly over Westward Beach from May 25 to September 30, 2023, and over Delray Beach Municipal Beach from May 19, 2023, to April 30, 2024. 

Staff from the Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors started with the programme in 2020, and officially started the implementation of the programme, as a pilot site in 2021.   

Gary Jones, the Director for the County of Los Angeles’s Department of Beaches and Harbors adds:  

“We’re thrilled and honored that the Westward Beach portion of world-famous Zuma Beach will fly one of the first Blue Flags in the United States. The Blue Flag will provide visitors with extra assurance that we are responsibly caring for our coast.” 
 

The City of Delray Beach entered the programme as a candidate beach in early 2022 and submitted its full application in the same year.  

Shelly Petrolia, the Delray Beach Mayor, says:  

“With the Atlantic Ocean at our doorstep, Delray Beach is proud to have a beautiful, world-class beach to call our own. I am especially grateful for the dedicated individuals who have put so much effort into ensuring that our natural beach is safe, accessible and that beachgoers are educated about our conservation initiatives.”