Turkey has once again positioned itself globally as one of the countries with the most beaches with Blue Flag, ranking third in the world with almost 580 beaches that have this international environmental distinction, according to an announcement by the Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism, Mehmet Nuri Ersoy.
“The Blue Flag will continue to wave proudly on our coasts this year. In 2025, Turkey has once again become the country with the third highest number of Blue Flag beaches in the world, with 577 beaches, 29 marinas, 18 tourist boats and eight individual yachts,” the minister explained in statements published on social media and quoted by Turkish news agencies.
The Blue Flag is an environmental and tourism certification awarded each year by the European Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), an independent organisation based in Copenhagen, which awards the Blue Flag to sustainable beaches, marinas or tourist boat operators that meet the FEE’s environmental and management criteria: there are 33 requirements in total for beaches, 38 for marinas, 51 for tourist boats and 4 for yachts.
Only Spain and Greece have more Blue Flag beaches
According to data from Turkey’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Antalya is the province with the highest number of Blue Flag beaches in 2025, with a total of 233 beaches, followed by the Aegean province of Muğla with 110, while Izmir (Smyrna) ranks third with 64 beaches. Other notable Turkish provinces are Balıkesir (48 Blue Flag beaches), Aydın (39 beaches), Samsun (16), Mersin (12) and Çanakkale (12).
Antalya – one of Turkey’s major tourist destinations – also tops the ranking in Turkey in the category of tourist boats with the Blue Flag distinction, with a total of 13 certified vessels. However, in the marina category, it is the province of Muğla on the southern Aegean coast that leads the way with a total of 10 marinas, followed by Antalya in second place with 6, while Izmir is third with 5 marinas.
The Blue Flag has become a benchmark for tourists looking for sun and beach destinations, and Turkey, with 577 Blue Flag beaches this year – 10 more than last year – ranks third in the world in 2025 in terms of the number of beaches with this distinction in a world ranking led by Spain with 642 beaches, followed by Greece with 623. For more information on Blue Flag beaches, ports and boats in Turkey, please visit the official website mavibayrak.org.tr.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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