Türkiye ranks third globally in number of Blue Flag beaches

ANKARA

Türkiye has once again been recognized as one of the top countries in the world for clean and environmentally friendly beaches, ranking third globally in the number of Blue Flag beaches for 2025, Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy has announced.

“The Blue Flag will continue to wave proudly along our coasts this year. In 2025, Türkiye once again became the country with the third highest number of Blue Flag beaches in the world, with 577 beaches, 29 marinas, 18 tourism boats and eight individual yachts,” Ersoy said in a statement shared on social media.

The Blue Flag, implemented in more than 50 countries, is a certification given by the Copenhagen-based not-for-profit non-governmental organization, Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE). A Blue Flag is awarded to a beach, marina or sustainable boating tourism operator that meets its environmental standards.

The minister congratulated the Turkish Environmental Education Foundation (TÜRÇEV), which coordinates the Blue Flag program in Türkiye, as well as all stakeholders and citizens who contributed to this achievement through their environmental awareness.

According to an official statement from the ministry, the southern tourism hotspot of Antalya retained its top spot with 233 Blue Flag beaches.

It was followed by the southwestern Muğla with 110 beaches and the western province of İzmir with 64.

Other provinces also made significant contributions: Balıkesir has 48 Blue Flag beaches, Aydın 39, Samsun 16 and both Mersin and Çanakkale 12 each. Additional coastal provinces such as Ordu, Sakarya, Adana and Düzce contributed to the national total.

Antalya also topped the list in the tourism boat category, with 13 certified vessels flying the Blue Flag.

In the marina category, Muğla leads with 10 Blue Flag marinas, followed by Antalya with 6 and İzmir with 5.

The total number of Blue Flag beaches in Türkiye rose from 567 last year to 577. The number of certified marinas also increased from 27 to 29.

To receive Blue Flag certification, beaches must meet 33 environmental and management criteria, marinas 38, tourism boats 51 and individual yachts four.