Türkiye has retained its position as the world’s third-most successful country in the number of Blue Flag-certified beaches in 2026, with 580 beaches across the country awarded the internationally recognized eco-label for environmental quality, safety and sustainable coastal management.
Announcing the results on social media, Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said Türkiye’s coastlines had become “a global brand,” emphasizing that the country once again preserved its global third-place ranking in the prestigious Blue Flag program, behind only Spain and Greece in the beach category.
According to the minister, 580 beaches, 30 marinas, 18 tourism boats and 26 private yachts in Türkiye qualified for Blue Flag certification this year. Ersoy stated that the achievement reaffirmed the country’s strong international standing in environmental standards, safe tourism infrastructure and sustainable coastal governance.
“As we continue our strong rise in the Mediterranean’s blue competition, we are also expanding our free public beaches in line with international standards,” Ersoy said. He noted that Bodrum Türkbükü Public Beach joined the list of Blue Flag-certified public beaches for the first time this year and added that new public beach projects would further broaden Türkiye’s Blue Flag map in the coming years.
The Blue Flag program in Türkiye is coordinated by the Turkish Environmental Education Foundation (TÜRÇEV) and evaluates beaches and marine tourism facilities according to a wide range of internationally monitored criteria. These include bathing water quality, environmental management, waste disposal systems, safety measures, accessibility for disabled visitors and environmental education initiatives.
Türkiye also maintained its global fourth-place ranking in the tourism boats category.
The Mediterranean resort province of Antalya once again led the country with 232 Blue Flag beaches in 2026, remaining Türkiye’s top coastal destination for certified beaches. Muğla followed with 113 beaches, while İzmir ranked third with 60.
Other provinces standing out on the list included Balıkesir with 45 Blue Flag beaches, Aydın with 39 and Samsun with 19. Additional coastal provinces recognized in the program included Çanakkale, Mersin, Tekirdağ and Kocaeli.
Among the beaches newly or prominently recognized this year were Antalya’s Sorgun, Ilıca, Belek, Kadriye, Lara 1, Lara 2, Beldibi Bahçecik, Çifteçeşmeler, Çamyuva and Tekirova public beaches, alongside Muğla’s Marmaris Public Beach, Bodrum İçmeler Public Beach and the newly added Türkbükü Public Beach.
