The first Blue Flag International Jury meeting of 2026 took place this past April and we’re proud to announce that new sites and countries have received the Blue Flag award for the upcoming season in the Northern Hemisphere.

A global total of 5274 sites awarded in 2026 (4371 beaches, 745 marinas, and 158 tourism boats) across 53 countries.

We would like to also congratulate the upcoming winners of the Good Practice competition for the Northern Hemisphere 2026 International Evaluation. The final ranking will be published next week.

Once again, Blue Flag International thanks its valuable institutional partners EBI, EEA, ENAT, EUCC, ICLEI, ICOMIA, ILS, UNEP, UNESCO, UN Tourism, World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, CitiesWithNature, Climate Service Center Germany - GERICS, Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association, University of Aberdeen, IUCN and WCA for sharing their expertise.

Following the three-day seminar, more than 150 participants were awarded the Local Blue Flag Responsibles Training Certificate. Organized for the 16th time by the Foundation for Environmental Education in Türkiye (TÜRÇEV), the Local Blue Flag Responsible Training Seminar took place on 24–26 November 2025 at the Conference Hall of the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change.

The seminar brought together senior representatives from leading institutions supporting the Blue Flag Programme in our country, including Fatih Turan, Director General of Environmental Management at the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change; Dr. Abdulkadir Ateş, Chairperson of TÜRÇEV and former Minister of Tourism; Halil İbrahim Kılıçarslan, Head of the Project Construction Department at the Ministry of Culture and Tourism; along with experts from the Ministry of Health, the Turkish Coast Guard Command and the Turkish Underwater Sports Federation (TSSF).

Representing 54 municipalities, 4 tourism unions and NGOs, 6 companies and 13 public institutions, more than 150 participants received their certificates at the end of the three-day training. These individuals will serve as Local Blue Flag Responsibles, authorized to implement and oversee the Programme in their respective regions on behalf of their institutions. To date, a total of 1,731 municipal personnel have participated in trainings organized by TÜRÇEV.

Since its implementation in Türkiye in 1993, the Blue Flag Programme has continued to grow. As of 2025, Türkiye has earned the Blue Flag for 557 beaches, 29 marinas, 18 tourism boats and 8 individual yachts. With this number of awarded beaches, Türkiye ranks 3rd globally among more than 50 participating countries.

In regions where the Blue Flag Programme is applied, various institutions designated by TÜRÇEV operate as local responsible bodies. While municipalities constitute the majority of these institutions, NGOs, village service unions and accommodation facilities are also included among the local responsible organizations. A Local Blue Flag Responsible is an authorized individual appointed by these institutions to coordinate Blue Flag related work for awarded or candidate beaches and marinas in collaboration with TÜRÇEV.