Greece has once again ranked as the second-best country worldwide for the quality of its beaches, marinas, and tourism vessels, according to the 2025 Blue Flag international awards announced Thursday.
A total of 623 Greek beaches, 17 marinas, and 17 tourist boats received the prestigious environmental distinction.
This achievement places Greece behind only Spain and accounts for 15% of all Blue Flag certifications globally this year.
The Hellenic Society for the Protection of Nature (EEPF) announced the awards on Wednesday at Glyfada Golf Gardens during an event attended by government officials and tourism industry representatives.
The Halkidiki region received the most beach awards with 93, while Crete led overall with 153 Blue Flags.
The Blue Flag program, established in 1987 by the Denmark-based Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), is the most widely recognized voluntary eco-label for beaches and marinas worldwide. To qualify for a Blue Flag, beaches must have "excellent" water quality and meet 33 criteria covering cleanliness, safety, environmental education, and sustainable management.
Marinas and boats are evaluated based on 38 and 51 separate criteria, respectively.
This year saw the addition of eight new tourist vessels in Greece to the program, more than doubling the total to 17.
The Blue Flag label for boats, introduced in Greece in 2017, recognizes companies that adopt sustainable practices in their general operations and in specific areas like diving excursions.
The awards announcement was preceded by environmental education workshops at a Blue Flag beach in Glyfada, where students and teachers participated in hands-on activities and observed a lifesaving demonstration by the Greek Lifeguard School Association (PA.SCH.NA.).
Later that day, the "Nature Protection Lab" event highlighted efforts to restore coastal and marine habitats.
Nikos Petrou, president of EEPF and vice president of FEE, opened the event alongside Glyfada Mayor Giorgos Papanikolaou. Petrou emphasized the crucial role of environmental quality in tourism, noting that international travel agencies consider the Blue Flag a key factor when recommending destinations.
Greece's consistent success in the program reflects both its natural beauty and the commitment of participating municipalities, hotels, and campsites.
The EEPF, Greece’s oldest national environmental organization and the local representative of FEE, has been active in nature conservation and environmental education for over 70 years.
The 2025 recognition comes at a time of competitive global tourism and ongoing discussions about environmental policy within Greek politics. Despite differing views on broader economic and energy strategies, support for sustainable tourism remains a point of consensus among political parties.