Greece second in the world for blue flag awards

FOR a second consecutive year, Anemos Luxury Grand Resort beach has been accredited with the “BLUE FLAG”, a symbol of excellence awarded when high standards of water quality, environmental management, environmental education and safety are achieved. Anemos Luxury Grand Resort is a unique luxury resort and Spa in the magnificent location of Georgioupolis, Chania, on the island of #Crete.

More than 45 countries around the globe have joined the Blue Flag programme. Hellenic Society for the Protection of Nature is the national operator of the programme in #Greece. In 2018, Greece ranked on the second place in the world, with 519 Greek beaches, 15 marinas and 1 sustainable tourism boat receiving the Blue Flag award.

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Blue Flags for Tenerife beaches

#TENERIFE has won 15 Blue Flags for its beaches, an increase of four since last year. 

Of the other Canary Islands Gran Canaria was awarded 12, Fuerteventura and Lanzarote six each, La Palma five, and La Gomera one.

Jodi Beard, marketing director of holiday planning specialists Cheap-Holidays-Tenerife.com, comments: ‘We couldn't be happier with these results. Two of my favourite beaches, Las Vistas and Los Cristianos on the popular southern area of the island, have been awarded Blue Flags this year.’

Other Blue Flags awarded on Tenerife include Playa La Arena in Santiago del Teide, which has retained its Blue Flag Status for almost 30 years.

Blue Flag beach awards, announced each year by the Foundation for Environmental Education across almost 50 countries, are judged on four categories: water quality, safety and services, environmental management, and environmental education and information.

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Picture Credit: Tenerife</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin

Record number of Blue Flag beaches in Spain

#SPAIN has once again topped the list of countries with the most Blue Flag beaches in the world for the 29th consecutive year. The country now has 686 Blue Flag beaches and marina resorts. 

Holidaymakers heading for the north to Galicia, which has the highest number of Blue Flags (141), can expect to see spectacular landscapes and cliffs in destinations such as Ribadeo and Vigo.

This year, the Ullibarri-Gamboa reservoir in Alava – Basque Country – is the first inland beach to be awarded a Blue Flag, while Arona in Tenerife and Chilches in Castellon have been given Blue Flags in recognition of their accessible beaches for people with reduced mobility.

Jannich Petersen, CEO of villa and apartment rental company Spain-Holiday.com commented on the news: ‘It is good news for Spain as the country enters the peak holiday season.  Spain as a tourist destination is more popular than ever, as we’ve seen an increase in enquiries in 2016 of 26% on the previous year.’

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Faces of Paphos

PAPHOS, #Cyprus, is deservedly known for its nightlife and beaches – 27 of them in the region, 12 of them Blue Flag class – but what some holidaymakers might not know is that it’s also the island’s major cultural centre, as befits mythical birthplace of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty. 

The owners of the seven-bedroom #VillaMonica 
(https://govillasandcottages.co.uk/property/9077084103121077103061061/villa-monica-peyia-village-paphos.html) in Coral Bay, Paphos, have flagged up some of the cultural events and attractions the town and the surrounding area have to offer visitors away from (but not too far away) the bars and beaches:

The Paradise Jazz Festival, every year in the Paphos district in September. 

Paphos Flower Festival – In May, Cypriots welcome the arrival of spring with the Anthestiria or flower festival. There’s a parade of flower floats along Poseidon Avenue to the old harbour at Kato Paphos. 

The Arkadia Festival in the village of Kallepeia celebrates the beauty of the area. Visitors join villagers to experience traditional Cypriot hospitality that features live music, traditional dancing, and food. 

Dionysia Festival – In September, Stroumbi, a village in the Paphos area holds a festival in honour of Dionysus, the Greek God of theatre, wine, and parties. This three-day festival is one of the biggest wine events of the country.

The Aphrodite Festival, an annual opera festival which takes place in Castle Square, Paphos.

Ancient Greek Drama, July & August – In July and August, three ancient theatres in Cyprus host one Greek drama festivals. Plays written by Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, and Aristophanes are re-enacted in classic Greek tradition. The ancient amphitheatre in Paphos is the venue for some of the performances.

*Coral Bay – a tourist resort in the Peyia municipality four miles north of Paphos –is a crescent of soft white sand enclosed by a pair of limestone headlands. The beach has a European Union Blue Flag.

*Paphos (also spelt Pafos) Town is a UNESCO World Heritage site, with the remains of villas, palaces, theatres, fortresses, and tombs of the Classical, Hellenistic, and Roman periods.

www.paphos.com

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Picture Credit: Villa Monica

Liguria leads Italy’s Blue Flag league

LIGURIA in north-west #Italy – otherwise known as the #ItalianRiviera – has the most Blue Flag beaches of any Italian region for the sixth year in a row.

The crescent shaped region between the French Riviera and Tuscany is dotted with sandy beaches, 23 of which have won the Blue Flag designation, three more than last year.

Blue Flag status is given to beaches with high standards of water quality, safety, and environmental education. New beach entries for Liguria this year are Taggia, located Liguria's very western edge near the French border, Borghetto Santo Spirito, to the west of Genoa, and Santa Margherita Ligure.

Other Blue Flag beaches on the region’s 200-miles coastline range from Finale Ligure in the west to Lerici Beach in the east.

www.blueflag.org

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Picture Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/89848429@N00/2817657180">pano2rt</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/">(license)