The annual Blue Flag awards this year have seen the Canaries receive 47 of the certifications attesting to the quality of beaches in the islands.
The iconic flag is one of the world’s most recognised voluntary awards for beaches, marinas, and sustainable tourism boats. In order to qualify for the Blue Flag, a series of stringent environmental, educational, safety, and accessibility criteria must be met and maintained.
The Blue Flag programme is run in Spain by the Association for Environmental and Consumer Education (ADEAC) and is part of a global initiative present in 52 countries. Spain once again tops the table in terms of flags awarded, accounting for 15% of all Blue Flag beaches on the planet.
In the Canaries, Gran Canaria leads the way in 2025 with 14 awards, two more than Tenerife (12) and four more than Fuerteventura, which has received ten.
The number of awards in the Canaries is nine down on last year, with Lanzarote particularly noteworthy for losing three of the flags held in 2024. With no new flags awarded to the Canaries this year, calls are already being made to investigate the reasons and redouble efforts to increase the quality of waters and services at beaches across the region.
However, it appears that the Europe-wide distinction, may be losing some of its appeal in certain cases. According to media reports today, Playa de Las Canteras in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, which is widely acknowledged as one of Europe’s top city beaches, was not put forward by the city authorities this year as they increasingly view the Blue Flag system as a purely marketing tool and prefer to focus on securing other prestigious seals such as Spain’s prestigious Q for Quality.
