ANKARA 

Türkiye once again ranked third in the world for the number of beaches receiving the eco-friendly Blue Flag designation.

According to the latest figures by the International Blue Flag jury, a total of 551 beaches, along with 23 marinas, 14 tourism boats, and 10 individual yachts across Türkiye, have been granted the Blue Flag label.

Among the countries with the Blue Flag beaches, Spain took the first place and Greece took the second place. Italy and France followed Türkiye.

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 in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The southern Antalya province of Türkiye, often regarded as one of the top tourism destinations in the world, has retained its ranking with a total of 231 Blue Flag eco-friendly beaches.

It was followed by the southwestern Mugla province with 110 Blue Flag beaches, western Izmir with 63, northwestern Balikesir with 46, and southwestern Aydin with 35 beaches.