Spain has gained 6 beaches and marinas with blue flags this year, the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) announced during its 36th year of existence. In 2022, Spain had the same number of flags for marinas and beaches, but in 2023 Spain will be 6 flags richer for beaches, while there will be 6 fewer flags for marinas and the country will once again be the world leader with 729 blue flags.
Blue Flag
In total, Spain received 729 blue flags (banderas azules) this year from the FEE and the Blue Flag initiative in which 50 countries worldwide participate, where 5,066 blue flags can be found. In Spain, 627 blue flags go to beaches, 97 blue flags to marinas and 5 blue flags to tourist boats in 250 municipalities.
Spain thus gained 6 flags this year and the country is still the world leader with 729 blue flags followed by Greece with 602 blue flags and Turkey with 569, France with 523, Italy with 506 and Portugal with 431 blue flags. The Netherlands has 189 and Belgium 17 blue flags this year.
Where in Spain
Looking at the provinces and regions we can see that the province of Girona (Costa Brava) has 28 blue flags for beaches, Barcelona (Costa Barcelona) 33 flags, Tarragona (Costa Dorada) 35 flags, Castellón (Costa Azahar) 32 flags, Valencia 34 flags, Alicante (Costa Blanca) 69 flags and Murcia (Costa Cálida) 28 blue flags. Unfortunately (as in recent years) again no blue flags on the side of the Mar Menor because of the pollution.
In Andalusia, in the province of Almería (Costa de Almería) there are 32 blue flags this year, in Granada (Costa Tropical) only 12 flags, in Málaga (Costa del Sol) 39 flags, Cádiz (Costa de la Luz) 31 flags and Huelva (Costa de Huelva) 12 flags.
What is the blue flag
The blue flag stands for beaches and marinas that meet standards such as safety, accessibility and environmental conditions. This year, one of every six blue flags in the world will again be found in Spain, which is again the absolute world leader with 729 blue flags.