The Minister of Culture and Tourism, Mehmet Ersoy, announced that this year, 567 beaches, 27 marinas, 18 tourism boats, and 9 individual yachts in Türkiye have earned the Blue Flag award. In his message, he remarked, “The Blue Flag looks great on our beaches!”
The International Blue Flag Jury has announced the Blue Flag awards for 2024. According to the jury’s statement, 567 beaches, 27 marinas, 18 tourism boats, and 9 individual yachts in Türkiye will fly the Blue Flag this year.
Minister Ersoy, highlighting that Türkiye has maintained its position as third in the world for the number of Blue Flag beaches, expressed pride in the consistent success announced today by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) based in Copenhagen, Denmark. He emphasized their determination to progress towards the goal of achieving first place.
16 more beaches in Türkiye to Fly the Blue Flag
Minister Ersoy, in his social media statement, emphasized the collaborative efforts of the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change, and the Ministry of Health, coordinated by the Turkish Environmental Education Foundation (TÜRÇEV), which have resulted in an increasing number of Blue Flag awards each year. He noted that 16 more beaches in Türkiye will fly the Blue Flag this year.
He shared the following message:
Blue flags look great on our beaches!
This year, 567 beaches, 27 marinas, 18 tourism boats, and 9 individual yachts from our country have earned the Blue Flag.
We are maintaining our position as third in the world for the number of Blue Flag beaches.
This consistent success is certainly a source of pride, and we are determined to advance towards our goal of achieving first place.
With the successful collaborative efforts of the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change, and the Ministry of Health, coordinated by the Turkish Environmental Education Foundation (TÜRÇEV), we are increasing the number of Blue Flag awards each year.
This year, 16 more beaches in our country will fly the Blue Flag.
Türkiye’s 16 new blue flag beaches
Spain once again holds the most Blue Flag beaches in the world this year, with Greece in second place. Türkiye, ranking third, is followed by Italy in fourth and France in fifth.
Under the coordination of the Turkish Environmental Education Foundation (TÜRÇEV), 16 more beaches in Turkey have been awarded the Blue Flag this year.
In 2023, Türkiye had 551 Blue Flag beaches. This year, the number has increased with the addition of 3 beaches in Istanbul, 3 in Balıkesir, 3 in Aydın, 2 in Antalya, 2 in Muğla, 1 in İzmir, 1 in Çanakkale, 1 in Tekirdağ, 1 in Bursa, 1 in Kırklareli, and 1 in Yalova.
The Blue Flag numbers in Samsun, Mersin, Kocaeli, Bartın, Ordu, Zonguldak, and Van remain unchanged.
Antalya, with 233 beaches, is the city with the most Blue Flag beaches in Türkiye in 2024, followed by Muğla with 112 beaches and İzmir with 64 beaches. Balıkesir, Aydın, Samsun, Çanakkale, Mersin, Kocaeli, and Tekirdağ follow İzmir in the number of Blue Flag beaches.
The blue flag program is implemented in 50 countries worldwide
The Blue Flag Program in Türkiye was initiated when the European Union declared 1987 as the Year of the Environment. The program, which aims to protect public health and continue this through environmental education and awareness activities, was implemented in Türkiye in 1993.
The program includes 33 criteria for beaches, 38 for marinas, 51 for tourism boats, and 4 criteria with 16 behavioral rules for individual yachts. Essential criteria include bi-weekly swimming water analyses during the season, suitability of wastewater treatment facilities, protection of sensitive natural areas, presence of lifeguards and first aid equipment, emergency plans, facilities for the disabled, waste separation, and environmental education and information. For marinas and tourism boats, corporate social responsibility and public participation and education are also expected criteria.
Coordinated by the Turkish Environmental Education Foundation (TÜRÇEV), the Blue Flag Program is implemented in 50 countries worldwide under the coordination of the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE).
