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Turkish ANTALYA First Globally in “Blue Flag” Beaches

The southern Antalya province of Turkey, often regarded as one of the top tourism destinations around the world. It is also known with its 206 eco-friendly beaches and leads the global tourism industry in this context.

The Blue Flag certification; an international program implemented in 50 countries; is an exclusive international eco-label given to beaches and marinas after meeting certain criteria set by the International Foundation for Environmental Education, an independent non-profit organization.

The first Blue Flag of this year was hoisted in Lara Barut Collection, with the program coordinated by the Foundation for Environmental Education in Turkey and its coordinator Lokman Atasoy.

Atasoy said, the criteria such as environment, water quality and cleaning sea, played a key role in the blue flag program, which would label beaches as "clean and safe", in addition to that, this program was run successfully in Turkey for more than three decades.

The water quality of the sea would be analyzed once  every 15 days, Atasoy noted, saying that beaches were regularly inspected for cleanliness and other parameters, including, lifeguards, controlling pets, recycling, and opportunities for the disabled.

The pandemic brought more responsibilities for the beaches, and this year's assessment included criteria such as social distancing, hygiene and mask bins, he stressed.

He also said Antalya has more blue-flagged beaches than any other touristic cities, followed by Valencia of Spain and Occitanie of France, which respectively have 134, and 109 blue flags.

Antalya, is the second most popular tourist destination in Turkey. The region includes the smaller coastal resorts of Alanya, Side, Belek, Kemer, Cirali, Kas, Kalkan and Patara,  naturally, given its enormous size. The choice of beaches is endless, and some havegained more fame than others. They include…

Kaputas
Often featuring in mainstream travel brochures as the idyllic beach location, Kaputas sits in a small cove, fronted by the crystal blue waters of the Mediterranean. It is a popular beach for Turks and foreigners despite its lengthy distance from the main tourist resorts of Kas and Kalkan

Patara
When mainstream tourism first came to Turkey in the 1980s, Patara was one of the leading holiday resorts because of its 18-kilometre-long beach, which also happens to be Turkey’s longest. Although it isn’t as popular as it is used to be before, the long stretch of golden sand is still considered to be the home to endangered Caretta turtles which nest in the sand during breeding season.

Lara And Konyaalti Beaches
Lara beach owes much of its success to the themed hotels backing it. Holiday companies have collectively nicknamed them, the Las Vegas of Turkey due to their all-inclusive concept including food, drink and entertainment. Sitting nearby, Konyaalti beach, also in the central city of Antalya does a roaring trade from locals and holidaymakers alike.

Trip Advisor is also included Kaputas, Patara, and Lara beaches on their list of the top ten beaches in Turkey for 2018. Altogether, Turkey has 435 blue flag beaches which ranks it fourth in the world after Spain, France and Greece and for a beach holiday with loads of choice, the country is a worthy contender.


 

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