The Minister of Tourism and External Andalusia, Arturo Bernal, participated in the ceremony for the delivery of the Blue Flags 2025 of Andalusia to municipalities for their commitment to sustainable and environmentally friendly management, pillars of the ‘Andalucía’ brand, for beaches, marinas, and tourist boats.
By 2025, Andalusia has 138 beaches in 49 municipalities distinguished. Málaga has the highest number of flags with 45 beaches, followed by Almería with 35, Cádiz with 31, Granada with 13, Huelva with 12, and both Córdoba and Jaén with one beach each. Additionally, 20 flags have been obtained for marinas and three special recognitions for Fuengirola, Málaga, and Chipiona for universal accessibility and lifeguard services.
The ceremony, held in Torremolinos (Málaga), was attended by hundreds of representatives from the recognized municipalities, as well as, in addition to Arturo Bernal, the Mayor of Torremolinos, Margarita Del Cid, and the President of the Association for Environmental Education and Consumer Affairs (ADEAC), Pepe Palacios.
The Minister recognized municipalities like Torremolinos for their commitment to sun and beach tourism, creating a destination that «reinvents itself time and time again to offer a varied and high-quality offering.» He also mentioned the role of ADEAC «for recognizing the excellence of our coasts.» In this line, he announced the recovery of subsidies for actions on the beaches of Andalusia with a new focus. «These will be aids focused on competitiveness, diversification, and reduction of environmental impact, and will be expanded to actions related to reducing water consumption and improving beach accessibility and safety,» he detailed.
«We continue to prioritize smaller municipalities and those with quality certifications such as Blue Flags or the Q and S for quality and sustainability. «These will be foundations that we want to endure over time. They will be accompanied by an initial call for proposals of 6 million euros, the largest allocation to date for this line of action on beaches,» he emphasized.
Record of Blue Flags in Andalusia
Arturo Bernal praised the record achieved by Andalusia in the Blue Flag distinctions, «an achievement that is not the result of chance, but of a sustained strategy based on quality, sustainability, and cooperation among administrations, companies, and citizens.» «It is a demonstration of how the Andalusian coast has managed to adapt to the challenges of our time without losing its essence: hospitality, respect for the natural environment, and commitment to visitors,» he said.
For the Minister, this recognition also reflects the collective effort to maintain and improve our coastal environment. «I take this opportunity to thank all the municipalities represented here for their efforts in caring for these natural gems that are also an economic engine for our destination,» he emphasized, focusing on the inland beaches that repeat the distinction: El Encinarejo in Jaén and the beach of the Breña reservoir in Córdoba.
Bernal entrega una bandera azul al resonsable de uno de los municipios reconocidos, en Torremlinos (Málaga).
«The blue that will soon be waving on your beaches is a recognition of the joint effort, accessibility, commitment to sustainability, and a commitment to visitors and our residents to preserve a natural heritage that we leave as a legacy to future generations,» he emphasized, highlighting Andalusia’s leadership in special mentions for its lifeguard services and universal accessibility, with three -Fuengirola, Málaga, and Chipiona- of the new nine recognitions.
The Mayor of Torremolinos, on the other hand, emphasized the value of sun and beach tourism as an essential part of the municipality’s identity. «It is not just a tourist offering, it is part of our way of life,» she said, recalling that the city was a pioneer in this model since the fifties and now updates it with sustainability and excellence criteria. In this sense, she celebrated that, for the first time in history, 100% of Torremolinos’ coastline has the blue flag, a recognition that validates the effort to maintain quality, accessible, and environmentally friendly beaches. «Our coastline is at the forefront of the urban and tourist regeneration strategy we are promoting.»
The ceremony took place in La Carihuela, «a symbol of our maritime origins and our openness to the world,» said the Mayor, who thanked everyone who made this achievement possible. «Today we celebrate a milestone that reaffirms that blue looks divine on Torremolinos.»
Andalusia, the region with the highest increase
The President of the Association for Environmental Education and Consumer Affairs highlighted that Andalusia stands out this year as the region with the highest increase in the number of Blue Flags: 138 for beaches spread across seven provinces and 48 municipalities, 20 marinas in five provinces, and four tourist boats in two provinces.
«This success is achieved thanks to the collaboration of the community, municipalities, marinas, companies, universities, foundations, associations, and citizens who demonstrate a shared responsibility to make the criteria related to environmental education, management, and information a reality, compliance with current legislation, excellent water quality, accessibility, and safety,» he said.
In his opinion, «tourism in Andalusia, as well as in any other place in Spain and the world, must bet on sustainability and the future.» «The foundation for achieving this is an education that makes it clear that our life and health depend directly on respect, care, conservation, and recovery of our natural environment,» he concluded.
