The southern Antalya province of Turkey, often regarded as one of the top tourism destinations in the world, has retained its ranking with the most blue-flagged eco-friendly beaches in the world, with a total of 213.
According to the latest figures by the International Blue Flag jury, a total of 519 beaches in Turkey will fly Blue Flags this year. The country is ranked third in the world after Spain’s 614 blue-flag beaches and Greece’s 545.
Antalya remained the top recipient of the award on a city basis, increasing its total from the 202 last year.
It was followed by the southwestern Mugla province with 106 blue-flag beaches, western Izmir with 66, southwestern Aydin with 39 and northwestern Balikesir with 36.
The Blue Flag certification, an international program implemented in 47 countries, is an exclusive international eco-label given to beaches and marinas after meeting certain criteria set by the International Foundation for Environmental Education, an independent non-profit organization.
