Spain sees record of 681 Blue Flag beaches, marinas

Spain's number of beaches and marinas that will be flying the prestigious Blue Flag of quality has hit a record of 681, Spain's Association of Environmental Education and Consumer Affairs said on Wednesday. President of the Association, which is part of the European Foundation for Environmental Education, Jose Ramon Sanchez Moro, told reporters that with 573 beaches and 108 marinas, Spain has the highest number of Blue Flags in the world since 1987. The country has achieved 34 blue flags more in 2014, 23 for beaches and 11 for marinas. This year one in six flags of the total will fly in Spain. When it comes to beaches, Spain was followed by Greece, Turkey, France and Portugal with 407, 397, 379 and 298 Blue Flags respectively. Spain's northwestern region of Galicia was awarded with 123 Blue Flags for its beaches, followed by the Mediterranean region of Valencia with 120, Catalonia with 89, Andalusia with 81 and the Balearic Islands with 61. Spain's Mediterranean regions of Catalonia and the Balearic Islands saw 48 marinas receive Blue Flags, 24 each one. Spanish Secretary of State for Tourism Isabel Borrego said Spanish beaches had very good quality, highlighting that Spain has 8,000 km of coastline with good weather. The tourism sector is very important for Spain, which was one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, and the sector is helping Spain's economic recovery.