Blue Flag first for Åland Islands marinas!
On Tuesday the 21st of April, the Blue Flag International Jury met online to evaluate more than 4,500 beaches, marinas and tourism boats in the Northern Hemisphere that have applied for a Blue Flag for the 2020 season.
On Tuesday the 21st of April, the Blue Flag International Jury met online to evaluate more than 4,500 beaches, marinas and tourism boats in the Northern Hemisphere that have applied for a Blue Flag for the 2020 season.
Images Copyright : Visit Åland
All Blue Flag sites are reviewed annually and awarded the Blue Flag for the duration of an operating season, which can last up to a full year. The International Jury reviews the applicants twice a year, in April for Northern Hemisphere countries and in September for Southern Hemisphere countries. This year, due to the COVID-19 crisis, the Blue Flag International Jury met online on Tuesday the 21st of April to evaluate the 2020 Northern Hemisphere candidates. Extensive preparation by the Blue Flag International team ensured that the online format did not interfere with the meeting’s quality and outcomes.
A highlight of the International Jury meeting was the decision to award the first Blue Flags in the Åland Islands to five marinas that meet Blue Flag’s standards of excellence in sustainability and environmental management. The Åland Islands is an archipelago of over 6,500 islands and skerries off the southwest coast of Finland that draws tourists with its wealth of history, natural beauty and outdoor activities.
The 2020 Blue Flag International Jury was composed of Peter Kristensen representing the European Environment Agency, David R. Green for the Coastal & Marine Union (EUCC), Birguy Lamizana representing the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Sophie Lewis for the World Cetacean Alliance, Bernard Combes for UNESCO, Jean-Michel Gaigné representing the International Council of Marine Industry Associations (ICOMIA), Erik Bech for the International Life Saving (ILS) Federation, Dirk Glaesser for the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Ivor Ambrose and Katerina Papamichail representing the European
Network for Accessible Tourism and Lourdes Diaz representing the FEE Board of Directors.
This year’s meeting demonstrated once again each Jury member’s strong commitment to the Blue Flag programme. Blue Flag International would like to reiterate its appreciation for their continued dedication, which ensures that all of the awarded sites worldwide represent the same level of excellence. The quality of applications and high level of standards continue to improve every year. As a result, there are more and more sites around the world that meet the rigorous criteria necessary to qualify for the Blue Flag award.
In addition to evaluating the Northern Hemisphere sites, the International Jury reviewed presentations from new countries that have been working to implement the Blue Flag programme in the near future. These candidates that are expected to join the Blue Flag network soon include Argentina, Chile, India and mainland Finland.
The list of 2020 Blue Flag awarded sites will be announced on the 10th of June. Before this date, Blue Flag International will announce the three winners of the inaugural Best Practices Competition. The theme of the 2020 competition is pollution, and the winners were chosen by the International Jury after evaluating the rest of the Northern Hemisphere applications.
The International Jury acknowledges that the worldwide COVID-19 crisis is going to impact the upcoming Blue Flag season in the Northern Hemisphere, and asks that all Blue Flag sites place local and national health guidelines above all other considerations. In these uncertain times, we must remember the important role that the Blue Flag plays in helping local communities and tourists identify safe and sustainable destinations. Thanks to the recognized excellence of the Blue Flag award, the public can be assured that it is safe to visit the sites when the Blue Flag is flying.
Blue Flag growth in South America
Copenhagen, 14th November 2019 – This year, Blue Flag is happy to announce that Colombia won its first Blue Flag award whilst the United States Virgin Islands rejoined after the devastating effects of the Hurricane in 2017.
Copenhagen, 14th November 2019 – This year, Blue Flag is happy to announce that Colombia won its first Blue Flag award whilst the United States Virgin Islands rejoined after the devastating effects of the Hurricane in 2017.
Today Blue Flag releases the results of the Blue Flag International Jury meeting for the Southern Hemisphere, sharing with you the highlights of this year’s evaluation.
During the International Jury’s meeting, 150 sites have been awarded the world’s leading tourism award for the 2019-2020 Blue Flag season in the Southern Hemisphere. It represents 107 beaches, 22 marinas and 21 boats within the 7 countries running the Blue Flag programme in the Carribean, South America, Africa and Southwest Pacific. This brings the total number of Blue Flag sites worldwide to 4573 in 47 countries. The full list of awarded sites has been published on the international Blue Flag website.
After several years of implementation of the Blue Flag criteria on its beaches, Colombia has seen its application approved for 4 of its sites by the International Blue Flag Jury. Moreover, 4 beaches and a marina have been awarded the Blue Flag in the United States Virgin Islands (USVI). Countries working towards implementing the prestigious Blue Flag include Cabo Verde, Chile and the Åland Islands (Finland). India has also been investing towards obtaining the Blue Flag and currently has five pilot beaches working on receiving the award for 2020.
“We are extremely happy with the quality of work that the Colombian applicants have been putting towards obtaining the Blue Flag. It has been years of efforts, and we are proud to see Colombia has risen to the challenge. Argentina and Chile are also investing in the Blue Flag for their countries and this will strengthen our position in South America,” says Sophie Bachet Granados, International Director of the Blue Flag Programme. ”
Due to the devastating effects of the hurricanes in 2017, Trinidad and Tobago had lost their Blue Flags, and we are delighted that the US Virgin Islands have managed to rehabilitee its sites to fly the flag this season. Trinidad and Tobago is still working towards this goal.
Furthermore, as part of the candidates’ 2019 evaluation, best practices regarding accessibility have been reviewed and highly appreciated by the International Jury. Some of these year’s best practices will be featuring in our best practice database, which is freely available on our website for all to use: https://www.blueflag.global/best-practices.
The next meeting of the Blue Flag International Jury will take place on 21rst April 2020 in Copenhagen to award beaches, marinas, and boats from the Northern Hemisphere.
About the International Blue Flag Jury:
The International Blue Flag Jury is composed of representatives from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), International Lifesaving Federation (ILS), the European Environment Agency (EEA), the European Union for Coastal Conservation (EUCC), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), an Environmental Education expert, the International Council of Marine Industry Associations (ICOMIA), the European Network for Accessible Tourism (ENAT) and FEE. You can find out more about them on Blue Flag’s website.
The Blue Flag greatly appreciates the support of its sponsor, the worldwide flag producer Semaphore and Total Beach Access, which provides sponsored beach access for the disabled.
The Blue Flag programme is run by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE): https://www.fee.global
Feel free to check and use our copyrighted pictures for communication: https://flic.kr/s/aHsk75W98q