Spain beats its record for blue flags: which is the autonomous community that has the most?

France, Italy, Greece, Turkey or Portugal will have to continue to settle for looking at Spain from a lower level as far as the quality of its beaches is concerned. The International Blue Flag Jury 2021 for the northern hemisphere, chaired by the FEE (Foundation for Environmental Education), has awarded 4,825 blue flags in the 47 participating countries, and there is no color: one in seven are in Spain.

Beyond the excellent news that it represents in competitive terms in the face of a crucial season in terms of tourism, Spain has once again beaten its record for blue flags that will fly next summer on the beaches of the coast with 615 badges, which reflects the quality of the waters, the high level of beach services and the safety that exists in them.

In addition, in what supposes an important effort that shows the need to distinguish itself, the participation of Spanish municipalities in the ‘Blue Flag’ program in 2021 has increased, reaching 249 coastal municipalities (5 more than the previous year), which have voluntarily submitted 676 candidate beaches (14 more than last year).

Most of the Blue Flag beaches are maritime and nine are inland beaches (two more than in 2020). In addition, 15 Spanish beaches receive the blue flag for the first time in their history and another 34 beaches recover it.

Spanish ranking of blue flags

The Valencian Community It is the one with the highest number of flags this summer (153 in total), followed by Andalusia (137 flags), Galicia (122 flags), Catalonia (119 flags), Canaries (64), Balearic Islands (44) and Murcia (32) . Behind are Asturias (15), Cantabria (11), the Basque Country (five), Melilla (five), Extremadura (three), Ceuta (two) and Madrid (one).

The most significant increase in the number of Blue Flags has occurred in Andalusia, with 15 more Blue Flags for beaches. In the Canary Islands, eight more beaches have been awarded than last year. In the rest of the autonomous communities, the number of Blue Flags remains stable.

Special Awards

In addition, special prizes have been awarded to municipalities that carry out a additional effort, beyond the Blue Flag criteria, on different topics. In 2021 the thematic distinction in Lifeguard and First Aid was awarded to the municipalities of Chiclana de la Frontera (Cádiz) and Muro (Balearic Islands); the category in Inclusive Beaches to the municipalities of Arnuero (Cantabria), Arona (Santa Cruz de Tenerife) and Santa Eularia del Río (Balearic Islands) and the thematic distinction in Environmental Education to the municipalities of Arucas (Gran Canaria), Conil de la Frontera (Cádiz) and Gandía (Valencia).

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