This year, Portugal has 440 Blue Flag beaches, marinas and boats, eight more than in 2023, making it the second country in the world with the highest number of award-winning river beaches, announced the European Blue Flag Association.
The announcement was made at the Vasco da Gama Aquarium, in Dafundo, municipality of Oeiras, district of Lisbon, by the president of the European Blue Flag Association, José Archer, who said that in the next bathing season 398 beaches will fly the Blue Flag, spread across 103 municipalities.
A beach awarded a Blue Flag meets several criteria, including the water quality and space, security and services, surveillance and awareness raising.
The person responsible considered it “good news” that the number of beaches, marinas and boats with Blue Flag “has grown again”, pointing out that the beaches are “set back to reach 400”.
Portugal among the top in Interior beaches
José Archer also highlighted the “continuous growth of interior beaches“, admitting that they are “naturally very badmore sensitive, more difficult to achieve and maintain“.
“Portugal stands out enormously in terms of inland beaches. We are, worldwide, the second country with the most inland beaches [fluviais], with 49, more than double that of Spain and Italy. It’s a number that deserves highlighting,” he added.
Silver even on tourist boats
At an international level, Portugal occupies second place in terms of ecotourism vessels awarded, with 23, with 19 marinas also being distinguished. In these two categories there were two more distinctions than last year.
But flags are also lost…
In terms of coastal beaches, the official highlighted that the number of beaches on the Portuguese coast with Blue Flag “is fully consolidated”, stressing that it is “growing as new beaches are designated”.
About loss of the Blue FlagJosé Archer said that all situations, in relation to last year, took into account the quality of the water, and in case of Zambujeira do Mar is related to the impact of the summer festival taking place in the locality southwest of Alentejo, in the municipality of Odemira, district of Beja.
On the “most sensitive” river beaches, he added, all it takes is “upstream for there to be an accident or spill and it ends up having an impact on water quality”.
“These are specific situations, which is a shame because they end up spending a year without being able to raise the Blue Flag, it is also a warning about people’s behavior that sometimes a reckless attitude leads to a community’s efforts going down the drain” , he said.
The official ceremonies
The official raising ceremony of the first Blue Flag on coastal beach will take place in Fontinha beach, in Porto Santo, Madeira, on June 1st.
The first raising of the Blue Flag on river beach will take place in Agroal, Ourém, in the district of Santarém, on June 7th.
Already the first marinewhere the Blue Flag will be raised will be at Calheta Recreational Port, in Madeira, on May 31st.
The distinguished coastal and river beaches are distributed across the North (89, two more than last year), center (48one more), Tagus (75one less), Alentejo (38one less), Algarve (86one more), Azores (45one more) and Wood (17one more).
The Blue Flag Program is an education program for sustainable development, promoted in Portugal by the Blue Flag Association of Europe, the Portuguese section of the Foundation for Environmental Education.
