Greece Demotes Multiple Coastal Destinations From Blue Flag List Including Popular Beaches In Crete, The Peloponnese, Epirus, Rodopi, And Skiathos After Failing Key International Criteria

Friday, August 1, 2025

Greece has officially revoked nan internationally recognized Blue Flag certification from 12 beaches located crossed cardinal regions including Crete, nan Peloponnese (Argolida), Epirus (Preveza), nan Sporades Islands (Skiathos), and Eastern Macedonia and Thrace (Rodopi), aft astonishment inspections revealed important failures successful gathering basal safety, environmental, accessibility, and operational standards required for nan 2025 season. The decision, announced by nan Hellenic Society for nan Protection of Nature (EEPF), came successful consequence to wide deficiencies specified arsenic deficiency of lifeguard presence, mediocre accommodation for group pinch disabilities, inadequate cleanliness, and constricted biology information, each of which violated nan strict criteria of nan world Blue Flag eco-label program.

Twelve Beaches Across Greece Lose Blue Flag Certification Over Environmental and Management Failures

Twelve beaches successful Greece person officially mislaid their Blue Flag certification for nan 2025 play aft failing to comply pinch basal environmental, operational, and information standards. The determination was confirmed by nan Hellenic Society for nan Protection of Nature (EEPF), which manages nan internationally recognized eco-label programme wrong Greece.

The affected beaches are located successful respective cardinal tourer regions including Argolida successful nan Peloponnese, Chania connected nan land of Crete, and aggregate celebrated shorelines connected nan land of Skiathos. This revocation follows astonishment on-site inspections carried retired by nationalist and world experts earlier this year, which revealed that nan beaches successful mobility did not meet nan Blue Flag program’s halfway criteria.

The Blue Flag is simply a globally recognized certification that honors beaches, marinas, and sustainable tourism operators that uphold precocious standards of h2o quality, safety, accessibility, biology education, and coastal management. Losing nan certification tin straight effect a destination’s entreaty to eco-conscious travelers and world circuit operators who prioritize sustainability credentials.

Multiple Compliance Failures Identified

During nan unannounced inspections, EEPF evaluators noted a assortment of non-compliance issues crossed nan 12 beaches. Among nan astir communal were:

• Poor accessibility and deficiency of accommodation for individuals pinch disabilities
• Insufficient aliases absent information infrastructure, specified arsenic lifeguard services and signage
• Inadequate cleanliness and formation maintenance
• Absence of required biology accusation for nan public
• Failure to sphere free nationalist entree to parts of nan coastline

These deficiencies indicated a systemic deficiency of preparedness for nan 2025 bathing play connected nan portion of section formation guidance authorities. In galore cases, nan required upgrades and attraction actions had not been implemented, starring to nan withdrawal of Blue Flag status.

List of Beaches That Lost Blue Flag Certification

The pursuing beaches person had their Blue Flag position revoked for nan 2025 season:

• Argolida, Peloponnese: Plaka, Kondyli, Karathonas, Tolo
• Preveza, Epirus: Lychnos
• Chania, Crete: Georgioupoli/Fereniki
• Skiathos, Sporades Islands: Vasilias, Kanapitsa, Asselinos, Gournes Elia, Ambelakia/Elivi
• Rodopi, Eastern Macedonia and Thrace: Fanari/Camping

These beaches, galore of which are frequented by some home and overseas travelers during highest summertime months, will nary longer beryllium permitted to alert nan Blue Flag successful nan upcoming season.

Water Quality Remains High Despite Loss of Certification

Although these beaches nary longer suffice for nan Blue Flag nickname owed to shortcomings successful services and infrastructure, nan EEPF clarified that nan seawater value astatine each 12 locations remains excellent. The revocation of certification is not connected to contamination aliases contamination issues but alternatively to operational failures successful complying pinch nan afloat scope of Blue Flag criteria.

This favoritism is important for visitors, who whitethorn still take to sojourn these areas but should beryllium alert that different captious factors—such arsenic lifeguard presence, accessibility, aliases accusation services—may not meet internationally expected standards.

What is nan Blue Flag Program?

The Blue Flag programme is 1 of nan astir respected voluntary biology awards globally. It was established successful 1985 by nan Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) and operates successful complete 50 countries. To suffice for nan Blue Flag, beaches must meet and support much than 30 strict criteria crossed 4 main categories:

• Water Quality: Clean and tested h2o free from pollutants
• Environmental Management: Regular maintenance, discarded control, and sustainable infrastructure
• Safety and Services: Lifeguards, information equipment, and accommodation for each users
• Environmental Education: Information boards and programs promoting biology awareness

In Greece, nan programme is overseen by nan EEPF, which ensures nan criteria are adapted to section conditions while still adhering to nan world standards group by nan FEE.

Greece consistently ranks among nan apical 3 countries successful nan world for Blue Flag-certified beaches, reflecting nan country’s dependence connected coastal tourism and its longstanding effort to equilibrium tourism maturation pinch biology protection.

Ongoing Monitoring and Future Consequences

The EEPF emphasized that inspections are ongoing and that further beaches whitethorn look akin revocations if improvements are not made. The statement urged municipalities, backstage formation operators, and location tourism bodies to prioritize investments successful maintenance, accessibility, and information successful bid to support aliases regain Blue Flag position successful nan future.

The nonaccomplishment of certification serves arsenic a reminder that Blue Flag is not a imperishable award—it must beryllium renewed annually and tin beryllium rescinded if nan formation fails to meet nan basal standards during immoderate fixed season.

Impact connected Tourism and Coastal Management

While nan removal of Blue Flag position does not make a formation unsafe aliases unusable, it tin power visitant cognition and booking decisions, particularly among world visitors who subordinate nan certification pinch value and trust. It besides highlights a broader rumor facing galore coastal destinations: nan situation of sustaining precocious levels of work and ecological protection while coping pinch expanding visitant numbers, seasonal pressures, and fund constraints.

The determination to revoke certification from these 12 beaches underscores nan value of responsible tourism management, semipermanent finance successful infrastructure, and adherence to world champion practices successful formation conservation.

Greece has revoked Blue Flag position from 12 beaches crossed Crete, Peloponnese, Epirus, Skiathos, and Rodopi aft astonishment inspections uncovered awesome failures successful safety, accessibility, and biology standards. The withdrawn certifications bespeak non-compliance pinch cardinal world criteria up of nan 2025 tourer season.

With Greece expecting different beardown tourism twelvemonth successful 2025, authorities are nether expanding unit to guarantee that biology value and visitant information stay a apical privilege crossed each coastal zones.