Our Programme

The Blue Flag is a globally recognised eco-label awarded to beaches, marinas, and tourism boats that meet high environmental and safety standards. It is a certification programme based on rigorous requirements in the areas of accessibility, education and information, environmental performance, responsible behavior, safety, services, stakeholder engagement and water quality. 

Awarded by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), the Blue Flag promotes environmental education and sustainable tourism. Sites must continuously meet and maintain strict requirements, including regular water quality testing, the implementation of waste and resource management, accessible facilities, and the provision of safety services and equipment. 

Through conformity assessment, alignment with relevant global frameworks, and continuous cooperation with international partners and experts, the programme ensures transparency, credibility, and the adoption of good practices in the tourism sector. By choosing a Blue Flag-certified site, visitors and stakeholders support destinations that actively protect the environment while offering high-quality services and effective stakeholder engagement. 

““We educate to protect. To protect not just our environment but the people who live in it, the communities who depend on it, the businesses who profit from it and the ecosystems which rely on it!””

  • Central to the ideals of the Blue Flag programme is the aim of connecting the public with their surroundings and encouraging them to learn more about their environment.

  • Informing visitors about the site they are visiting is an essential part of the Blue Flag programme. This allows people to easily navigate the area and to learn a little more about the indigenous flora and fauna.

  • Stringent criteria and regular spot checks help to encourage compliance of Blue Flag sites, which are also subject to comprehensive control visits.

  • Appropriate local organisations are selected to implement and enforce the necessary criteria with a view to ensuring a consistency of the standards, which make the Blue Flag award so trustworthy and valuable.

  • Owners/operators of Blue Flag sites must agree to ensure that safety measures are in place at all times, so that the staff, public and environment remain safe.

Important Note

When owners/operators of beaches, marinas and boats are awarded the right to display the Blue Flag, it is because they have complied with a number of stringent environmental, educational, safety and accessibility criteriaat the time of the award. Following the award, the owners/operators accept full responsibility to ensure continued compliance with all of these criteria. While FEE may carry out checks of sites from time to time, neither FEE, nor any of its officers, members or jury members accept any responsibility to any person in the event of any non-compliance.

Blue Flag and the Sustainable Development Goals

Through its work, Blue Flag contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals. Click here to know more about it and find out how the concrete work of our member countries helps advancing the SDGs.