505: this is the number of beaches and ports that have been awarded the Blue Flag label

The beaches covered by the label are located on 186 municipalities located on the sea front but also on the edge of lakes and rivers.

This year, the Occitanie and Sud Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur regions have 246 sites, which represents half of the total number of beaches and ports certified in France (49%). Occitanie again tops the list with 107 beaches and 20 ports, or 127 sites. With 119 winners, the South region is closely following it in the rankings: 91 beaches and 28 ports will be able to raise the blue flag this summer. In 3ᵉ place, Nouvelle-Aquitaine registers 58 labeled sites: 55 beaches, 2 harbors and 1 boat.

In total, 398 beaches, 106 marinas and a boat have received the label Blue Flag in 2024.

17 new sites (11 beaches and 6 marinas) are on the 2024 list.

The new beaches labeled in 2024 

11 new beaches are labeled. Of these, 9 are located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (PACA) region. In Nice, the beaches of Bamboo, Blue Beach, Forum, Galion and Poincar are now Blue Flag. Three beaches in Cannes also meet the criteria this year: Gare Merchandise, Midi and Riou. The 11th^e The beach is located in Antibes: the Grande Plage in Juan-les-Pins.

New ports labeled in 2024 

6 new ports are labeled. In Cannes, the port Moure rouge is included in the list. The marina of Port Carnon in Occitanie, the port of Deauville in Calvados and the port of Charles Ornano in Ajaccio, South Corsica, have also become Blue Flag. The last two are inland: the port of Nernier in Haute-Savoie and the port of Les Maillotins in Joigny, in the Yonne.

A boat labeled for the first time

The Ocean Explore boat based in Hendaye, New Aquitaine, is the first certified boat in France. The labeling concerns fleets which offer sightseeing andnaturalistic observation. The benchmark comprises 47 general criteria, including a dozen mandatory criteria for cetacean, bird and seal observation activities.

What are the criteria?

In 2024, the label is changing its criteria to strengthen its commitment to biodiversity: biodiversity inventory has become an imperative criterion for ports. It became mandatory for beaches in 2023. The label uses around 50 criteria per site type to protect ecosystems and health: waste and water management, clean bathing water, soft mobility, environmental education...

These criteria are divided into 9 themes:

• water and sanitation criteria;
• biodiversity criteria and natural environment management;
• safety-related criteria;
• waste management criteria;
• criteria related to training/education for sustainable development;
• criteria related to equipment and services;
• criteria relating to sobriety;
• the criteria relating to information to users;
• criteria related to responsible governance.

You can consult the criteria and their evaluation on the Blue Flag website.

What are the constraints?

Blue Flag is a annual label. It is allocated only for the current year. No municipality or port can claim the Blue Flag if it is not a winner of the year.

All flags must be lowered at the end of the summer season (beach surveillance period) or on December 31 of the current year for marinas.

Each labeled site receives a flag of size 150 x 100 cm which must float on the beach or the labeled port. The Blue Flag flags are exclusively manufactured by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) according to very precise environmental standards (color, material, manufacturing process). Winners cannot have their own flag made.

Where a labeled site is to be temporarily closed for accidental non-compliance with one of the criteria (green algae, cyanobacteria, pollution risks, etc.) or used for an event unrelated to the label (fairground, sports competitions), the Blue Flag must be lowered until the event reopens or ends and the reason for this withdrawal and its duration must be indicated.

Monitoring visits are carried out during the tourist season to ensure that the criteria are met. These visits are led by Teragit and the international coordination of the Blue Flag. Once labeled, each winner undertakes to respect the terms and conditions of use of the label.