BLUE FLAG

Blue Flag Status

A beach with a blue flag means:-

A beach with crystal-clear waters-

Good organization and safety-

An environmentally - friendly place

The "Blue Flag" is the international symbol of quality of a well organized beach.

The "Blue Flags Program" is a Program for Environmental Sensitivity and Protection of The Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) that occurs every year on a grand scale in over 35 countries in Europe and other places around the world.

In Greece, the representative for the program is the Greek Environmental Society for Nature Protection, the oldest environmental organization in our country that has been active in environmental education and the protection of nature since 1951.The awarding of Blue Flag status to a beach is no easy task. The beach must fulfill 27 strict criteria in relation to the cleanliness of the sea and the beach itself, the organization of the beach and the safety of its visitors, the protection of nature and the environment.For a marina there are 22 criteria.The municipality of Agios Nikolaos has had to this day, the largest number of awarded beaches in the region, and for the first time this year (2004), the marina was also awarded the Blue Flag.The managing organizations of the awarded beaches and marinas are the Public Enterprise for Tourism Development of Agios Nikolaos (DETADAN), the Community of Elounda for Tourist Development (KEPANEL), the Public Enterprise of the Marina Agios Nikolaos (DEPAMAN) and also the many excellent hotels in our area.