Blue Flag 2013 is waving on June13 on 57 beaches in Cyprus, which fulfill the strict international criteria of quality, breaking the record of 56 beaches in 2012.
The Blue Flags were awarded on June 13 by the non-profit organization Cyprus Marine Environment Protection Association (CYMEPA) for the beach of Kourion in Episkopi of Limassol.
The leader was the Municipality of Ayia Napa with 14 flags, while nine flags were given to the Municipality of Paralimni and seven flags to the Community of St. Tikhon in Limassol. The Municipality of Paphos won six flags, Larnaca three, while the Municipalities of Limassol, Geroskipou, Polis Chrysochous and Peyia, as well as Pyrgos and Pentakommo communities, were awarded two Blue Flags each. One flag each was awarded to Ayios Athanasios Municipality, Episkopi, Pissouri, Parekklisia, Pervolia and Voroklini.
CYMEPA General Secretary, Michalis Ierides, reported that the Blue Flag is now 26 years old internationally and 18 years old in Cyprus, contributing to acquiring knowledge, the right values “necessary elements to promote practices of sustainable development and exploitation of the beaches by the local authorities.”
The Blue Flags were awarded on the basis of environmental management criteria covering sewage treatment, coastal planning and protection, bathing water quality, safety and services and environmental education.
The Blue Flag is a voluntary eco-label awarded to more than 3,850 beaches and marinas in 48 countries across Europe, South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia, New Zealand, Brazil, Canada and the Caribbean, as reported in the newspaper Famagusta Gazette.
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