About Blue Flags

For 2023, 617 Greek beaches and 18 marinas have got the international quality award of “Blue Flag”.
These numbers bring Greece to second place worldwide (1st is Spain).

The voluntary BLUE FLAG program started in 1987. This year, 53 countries from all continents are participating. Internationally, the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) is responsible for handling the program.

For Greece, the project has been coordinated since 1992 by ΕΕΠΦ (Greek Society for the Protection of Nature).

There is a certain procedure for a beach to win the Blue Flag. The procedure must be followed by the beach operator which is usually either a Municipality or a big hotel (that is why, in many cases, the name of a beach includes a hotel name).

The award of the Blue Flag requires 33 criteria. Water purity is not the only criterion, contrary to what most people might think.
In addition to sea water quality (which is essential), there are additional requirements related to the organization of the beach (e.g. toilets), health conditions (e.g. first aid), safety (e.g. lifeguards), the information to the bathers, the cleanliness of the coast etc.

All these mean expenditure, staff recruitment, special equipment and a continuous effort for the proper organization and operation of the beach. These extra requirements are the main reason why many well-known Greek beaches are missing from the list (some examples: Navagio in Zakynthos, Psarrou in Mykonos, Kleftiko in Melos and many others).

The International Commission has awarded, this year, Blue Flags to 4,212 beaches, 710 marinas and 120 tourist boats around the world. For Greece, as mentioned above, 617 coasts and 18 marinas were awarded. The area with most Blue Flags was Chalkidiki with 94 flags (last year were 87).