Turkey is among the top three world leaders in the number of beaches awarded the Blue Flag certificate.
The Blue Flag is an international award given annually since 1987 by the International Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) to beaches and marinas whose water meets high-quality standards and is suitable for safe swimming.
Currently, Turkey is second only to Spain and Greece in terms of the number of beaches awarded with the Blue Flag certificate.
According to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, in 2018, 459 beaches were marked with the Blue Flag in Turkey, in 2019 – 463 beaches, in 2020 – 486 beaches, and 2021 – 519 beaches. This year, this figure has risen to 531.
The number of Blue Flag beaches in Antalya has grown to 229. In addition, 111 beaches have been awarded the Blue Flag in Muğla, 66 in Izmir, 36 in Aydın, 31 in Balıkesir, 13 in Samsun, 12 in Canakkale, and 12 in Mersin. 11, Kocaeli – 7, Bartyne – 3, as well as two beaches each in Kirklareli, Sakarya and Ordu and one in Van.
The leader in the number of beaches awarded the Blue Flag certificate is Spain with 621 beaches, followed by Greece with 581 beaches.