Seventy-six beaches and two marinas have been awarded with a Blue Flag this year, according to Cyprus' Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, Maria Panayiotou, who attended on Friday the national Blue Flag award ceremony at the Zygi Fishing Shelter, in the Larnaca district, noting that such a distinction meant a safe entertainment area for visitors, while it was a 'trophy' for local authorities since it proves their effective management. In her speech, the Minister, referring to the latest EU bathing water quality report, she said that Cyprus, for the second consecutive year, ranked first in Europe as regards the quality of its bathing waters, with 120 out of 123 bathing water areas found to be of excellent quality while the remaining three areas were not classified due to a limited number of samples. An important achievement for Cyprus, she also said, was the fact that this year 76 beaches out of 123 bathing water areas and two marinas met the criteria, and are being awarded a Blue Fl ag, which, was 'another important award for Cyprus'. The Blue Flag, she said, was 'the most recognisable and widespread ecological quality symbol in the world', noting that it has become 'an international institution' that promotes the principles of ecology and sustainability. 'A necessary condition' for the award of a Blue Flag, Panayiotou added, was, among other things, the 'excellent' quality of bathing waters, but also the observance of other 33 criteria for beaches and 38 criteria for marinas, which certify the quality of their organisation, such as the safety of bathers, information provided to visitors, the cleanliness and organisation of the beach and the surrounding area, the protection of natural wealth and environmental awareness. Panayiotou said that, for visitors, a Blue Flag beach meant 'a safe entertainment area', for local authorities, a 'trophy' proving their effective management while it confirms, 'once again, Cyprus' commitment to the protection of the environment' and achieving sustaina bility. She also said that, in recent years Cyprus managed to make significant progress as regards the list of countries where environmental protection was high on their priorities. The majority of tourists visit Cyprus for its sun and sea, she said, noting that the country's top spot in Europe as regards bathing water quality could be used to promote marine and coastal tourism. The Minister said that one of the main goals of the governance programme of President Nikos Christodoulides, was the upgrading of the services offered at the country's beach resorts and investing in marine and sustainable tourism and that this complements, at the same time, the Government's efforts, both in terms of the protection of marine Natura 2000 sites and marine biodiversity, as well as with its actions and policies for the reduction of single-use plastics, waste management and zero waste. Source: Cyprus News Agency
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