Canarian Blue Flag beaches reach 50
The Canaries have received a total of 50 Blue Flags in recognition of the quality of the islands’ beaches and marinas.
The awards were announced on Thursday by the Federation for Environmental Education.
The results are good news for the islands, as it see’s the number of blue flag beaches rise by 5 on last year.
Tenerife achieved 15 of the flags awarded, three more than Gran Canaria. Lanzarote and Fuerteventura both received 6 each.
Costa Adeje’s blue flag beaches keep their flags
Adeje is one of the leaders in the Canary Islands in the blue flag league
The five Adeje blue flag beaches have retained the right to fly their blue flags: Troya I and II, Fañabe, el Duque and Torviscas. This is the third year in a row that the five can fly the flags, are a mark of beach quality, safety, and security awarded by the Association for Environmental Education and Consumers (AEAC) and the Foundation for Environment Education (FEE).
The results of this year’s blue flag destinations were published yesterday by the international non-governmental organisation that investigates the state of beaches and marinas all over the world annually to assess the quality of installations, the water, safety, etc. Spain will fly 600 blue flags this year, 45 of them in the Canary Islands, 15 in Tenerife. Along with Adeje, San Bartolomé de Tirajana and Tías are the other two boroughs with five beaches winning the right to hoist the flag.
“This is very satisfying, not just because winning this distinction guarantees the quality of our beaches to the millions that visit annually to enjoy their holidays, but also as it reflects the extensive work that is done all year around on the part of our borough teams who work to care for our beaches as well as the residents who also look after their environment and beaches”, said Adeje mayor José Miguel Rodríguez Fraga.
The mayor added that he was confident that “bit by bit the rest of our coast would be also be given the right to fly these flags because this would reflect the reality that the good work done along these five beaches is also being extended to all of the other beaches in the borough where quality and excellence go hand in hand”.
To obtain a flag the beaches must pass a series of technical inspections undertaken by independent specialists who test a number of aspects such as quality of bathing water, environmental information available to the public, integrated development of the facility, security measures in place for bathers, accessibility, etc.
Adeje is a borough that is linked to quality. One example of this is that the Troya I and II beaches have received 19 blue flags over the years, and are an integral part of the borough’s tourist identity.
Regarding beach services the mayor said “the management of the services is suitable to the beaches in question and is controlled by a company who have created jobs as well as meeting all the quality requirements which are laid down by the council”.
The Blue Flag campaign is recognised in almost 50 countries in four continents, including most of the countries of the EU.