03 June 2016
314 beaches and 17 ports and marinas awarded Blue Flag in 2016
In the year that marks 30 years of the Blue Flag system, a total of 314 beaches and 17 recreational ports and marinas were attributed the distinction in Portugal in 2016, for the first time breaking the 300 barrier in terms of Blue Flag beaches.
Portugal remains the 5th ranked country in Europe, as it was in 2015. In first place is Spain (578), followed by Turkey (436), Greece (395) and France (379). It is pointed out that none of those countries registered an increase in Blue Flag beaches, in contrast to Portugal.
In relation to the distribution along the Portuguese coast, the Algarve is the region with the most Blue Flag beaches, totalling 88 beaches in 13 councils.
The European Blue Flag Programme began on a continental scale in 1986, as part of the European Year of the Environment Programme. With the backing of the European Commission, the main goal of the initiative was to raise awareness among the general public and the decision makers in particular about the need to protect the marine and coastal environment and to encourage action to be taken to solve problems.
For the full list of Blue Flag beaches go to http://bandeiraazul.abae.pt/.
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