Turkey ranks second in clean beaches

Turkey, which hosts nearly 40 million tourists annually, has ranked second in the number of blue-flagged beach, an international label awarded to beaches which meet a high standard in multiple categories, including cleanliness. 

According to information by the Culture and Tourism Ministry, Turkey has increased the number of its blue flag beaches every year.   

Twenty years ago, only five Turkish beaches had blue flags. This number was 397 last year and 436 this year.

The southern province of Antalya is the city with the highest number of blue-flagged beaches.

This year the number of blue-flagged beaches increased to 3,468 worldwide. Among the 50 countries with blue flag beaches, Spain tops the list with 578 clean beaches. It is followed by Turkey with 436 beaches and Greece with 395 beaches. 

Other countries include France with 399, Portugal with 299, Denmark with 250, Croatia with 99, Ireland with 83 and Britain with 61. 

A total of 605 beaches with blue flags are in 40 countries. 

This year 22 marinas in Turkey also received blue flag. Among 697 blue-flagged marinas in the world, 112 are in the Netherlands, 106 in Germany and 104 in Spain.  

Turkey follows France, Denmark and Italy in the number of blue-flagged marinas and ranks seventh.