Our country has achieved 729 this year ahead of Greece and Turkey. The Valencian Community and Andalusia are the regions that accumulate the most blue flags.

This year, Spain is once again the country with the most blue flag beaches and bathing spots. It has added 16 more than in 2021, so collects a total of 729 prizes, As announced during a press conference in Madrid this morning.

15% of the Blue Flag beaches are in Spanish territory, which ranks first in the world ranking of 48 countries. Greece and Turkey occupy the second and third places respectively.

A total of 250 Spanish municipalities have achieved this recognition in their one-bathroom space. By autonomous communities, the Valencian Community stands with 139, two more than the previous year, followed by Andaluca, which records the largest increase in Blue Flags (122, seven more than the previous year). “This is great for Andalusia,” says Jose Palacios Aguilar, president of the Environmental and Consumer Education Association (ADEAC), the organization that distributes these awards in Spain, which is distributed by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE). . “When you get to the top, the real merit is to keep it. Today we can say that we have the best quality and best prepared beaches Looking forward to enjoying this summer,” he added.

tourism sector recovery

Fernando Valdes Verelst, the Secretary of State for Tourism at the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, had already warned of the “good news” that this was for Spain in 2022. And that’s what happened. The health crisis caused by Kovid-19 severely affected the tourism sector, the main economic engine of the country. But the quality of the beaches has contributed to the region’s recovery and many bathing sites retain an award that recognizes sustainability in the region. “The recovery of tourism is already a reality. It is the fruit of the efforts of all the administrations and the resistance and effort of one region which is capable of adapting to the needs of the health crisis and We have been able to cope with the worst tourist crisis in history.”Walds says.

The Blue Flag is an award given to beaches, tourist boats and ports that meet a range of environmental and safety conditions and was established in 1985 by the European Foundation for Environmental Education (FEEE) in France. Submission to this program is optional and in order to receive it, you must meet a series of related conditions Water quality, environmental management, safety, services and access.

Since 1994, Spain has led the list of countries with the most blue flags and received 713 in 2021. “It aims to ensure that blue flags represent the level of international quality and advance the criteria used to evaluate beaches, ports, boats at the national level”, of the World Tourism Organization for tourism. Dirk Glaser, director of the Program for Sustainable Development, explained.