Hundreds of Greek beaches have once again secured the prestigious Blue Flag status, which is the world’s most authoritative voluntary eco-label to be awarded to beaches, marinas, and sustainable boating tourism operators.

To receive a Blue Flag a location must go under the most strict and thorough environmental, educational, safety, and accessibility tests to maintain the award’s high criteria.

Just ahead of the 2022 summer, a total of 581 beaches in Greece have been awarded the prestigious Blue Flag Award shooting Greece to second place among 49 countries, the Greek Department of the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) announced.

Halkidiki peninsula alone in northern Greece, has earned 96 blue flags for its beaches with Attica, Crete and Rhodes closely behind.

“We are blessed as a country—our destinations are sought after worldwide,” said Deputy Minister of Tourism, Sofia Zacharaki adding that the ministry has secured 140 million euros from the Recovery Fund for the construction of marinas and the improvement of accessibility to beaches.

“The messages are optimistic for our country and the tourism industry. We hope this year we will exceed our expectations.”

Spain is the country with the most Blue Flags in the world.