Spain dominates global Blue Flag beaches awards for another record-breaking year
Blue Flags have been awarded to 638 beaches, 102 marinas and 7 tourist boats in Spain
Spain has just been awarded a total of 638 Blue Flags for its beaches for the summer of 2024, an annual honour bestowed by the Foundation For Environmental Education which signifies that its coastlines meet the highest possible standards.
This achievement means that Spain retains its title as world leader in the competition and locally, the Valencian Community has again come out on top (159, six more than last year), followed by Andalucía (156, eight more than in 2023), Galicia (125, the same as last year) and Catalonia (118, two fewer than last year).
"We have been the country with the most Blue Flags in the world for three uninterrupted decades and will continue to do so this year. 15% of the blue flag beaches in the world are in Spain. This is a collective success because it is only possible thanks to work of all administrations," highlighted the Secretary of State for Tourism, Rosario Sánchez Grau.
The Environmental and Consumer Education Association (Adeac), promoter of the Blue Flags in Spain, presented the complete list of these distinctions in Madrid on Tuesday May 7. The number of awarded flags has actually risen to 747 in total, 18 more than in 2023, including those awarded to beaches (638, eleven more than last year), marinas (102, five more than in 2023) and tourist boats (seven, two more than the previous season).
The rest of the communities according to the number of Blue Flags awarded are: Canary Islands (60), Balearic Islands (42), Murcia (34), Asturias (15), Cantabria (11), Extremadura (10), Basque Country (4), Melilla (4), Ceuta (2) and Madrid (1).
Adeac also has a 'special mentions' category, which recognises specific Blue Flag municipalities for the work they have done in relation to environmental education, lifeguard services and accessibility for people with disabilities.
The accessibility award was given to Alicante, Gandía in Valencia and Rota in Cádiz, while Gandía (Valencia), Mijas (Málaga) and Muro (Balearic Islands) were all recognised for their outstanding lifeguard services.
Finally, the special mention for Environmental Education went to Arucas (Gran Canaria), Orihuela (Alicante) and Vilaseca (Tarragona).
Image: Ayuntamiento de Cartaya
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