Greece's Beaches Rank Second In The World With Most Blue Flags

A total of 545 beaches in Greece were awarded the prestigious Blue Flag award for 2021, putting the country in second place among 49 countries, according to data released by the Greek section of the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE).

The Halkidiki peninsula in northern Greece, renowned for its golden sand and turquoise waters, swept most of the 545 awards, earning 155 flags. Crete, with more than 120 green flags, follows and Rhodes, which is in third place with 63. In Attica, the popular beaches of Varkiza, Voula, and Vouliagmeni all passed muster as well.

The iconic Blue Flag is one of the world’s most recognized voluntary eco-labels awarded to beaches, marinas, and sustainable boating tourism operators. In order to qualify for the blue flag, a series of stringent environmental, educational, safety, and accessibility criteria must be met and maintained.

The Blue Flag was created in France in 1985, as a pilot scheme from the Office of the Foundation for Environmental Education in Europe where French coastal municipalities were awarded the Blue Flag on the basis of criteria covering sewage treatment and bathing water quality.

According to a 2020 report by the EU environment agency, Greece is among the top five European nations in terms of the cleanliness of its swimming waters, while Cyprus is at the very top of the list. More specifically, a total of 97.6 percent of reported swimming areas are in line with the minimum quality standards and are thus classified as “sufficient” or better. 95.7 percent are classified as “excellent.” No swimming area in the entire country was classified as “poor”.

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