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By News Centre

Türkiye has once again demonstrated its steady rise in sustainable tourism and environmentally focused coastal management with the 2026 Blue Flag results. Retaining its third place globally in the Blue Flag rankings, Türkiye has further strengthened its position among the leading countries of the “blue competition” in the Mediterranean through its expanding beach network, internationally standard public beaches, and new investments.

According to the 2026 Blue Flag awards announced by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), the number of Blue Flag beaches in Türkiye increased from 577 to 580. Türkiye once again ranked third in the world in the beach category, after Spain and Greece.

Commenting on the results, which were announced in Foça, İzmir, by the Turkish Environmental Education Foundation (TÜRÇEV), Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy emphasized that Türkiye continues to expand its Blue Flag map with new public beaches. He noted that Türkiye’s coastline has now become a global brand, adding that the Bodrum Türkbükü Free Entry Public Beach would also fly the Blue Flag for the first time this year.

Thanking partner institutions such as the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change and the Ministry of Health, Minister Ersoy stated in a social media post:

“Our beaches have become a global brand! We have once again retained our third place in the world in the Blue Flag program. In 2026, 580 beaches, 30 marinas, 18 tourism boats, and 26 private yachts were awarded the Blue Flag. In this way, Türkiye has once again confirmed its strong position in environmental standards, safe tourism infrastructure, and sustainable coastal management at an international level. While continuing our strong rise in the ‘blue competition’ in the Mediterranean, we are also expanding our free-entry public beaches in line with international standards. This year, our Bodrum Türkbükü Public Beach has also joined our Blue Flag public beaches. With our new public beach projects, we will further expand Türkiye’s Blue Flag map. I would like to thank all our stakeholder institutions, especially TÜRÇEV, as well as local administrations and the tourism sector for their contributions.”

Minister Ersoy’s previously announced public beach projects are also considered important steps in Türkiye’s “blue” growth vision.

He had earlier announced that with new free-entry public beaches under construction in Bitlis Adilcevaz, Sinop İnceburun, and Samsun Yakakent, the number of public beaches developed under the Ministry’s “five-star concept” is targeted to reach 23 by the end of 2026. He also stressed that environmental management, safety, cleanliness, and service quality at these publicly accessible beaches will continue to be improved in line with international standards.

The free-entry public beaches developed under this vision also stood out in the 2026 Blue Flag list. In Antalya, Sorgun, Ilıca, Belek, Kadriye, Lara 1, Lara 2, Beldibi Bahçecik, Çifteçeşmeler, Çamyuva, and Tekirova public beaches were awarded the Blue Flag. In Muğla, Marmaris Public Beach, Bodrum İçmeler Public Beach, and—entering the list for the first time—Türkbükü Public Beach also received the Blue Flag. As a result, the Ministry’s five-star concept public beaches have become one of the strongest components of Türkiye’s internationally standardized “blue” coastal network.

Türkiye once again ranked third in the world in the beach category after Spain and Greece, while also maintaining its fourth place globally in the tourism boats category. According to the 2026 results, a total of 580 beaches, 30 marinas, 18 tourism boats, and 26 private yachts in Türkiye were awarded the Blue Flag.

The Blue Flag program in Türkiye, coordinated by TÜRÇEV, monitors a range of criteria through international inspection processes, including bathing water quality, environmental management, lifeguard safety, accessibility for people with disabilities, waste management, and environmental education.

Antalya maintained its position as the province with the highest number of Blue Flag beaches in 2026, with 232 beaches. Muğla ranked second with 113 beaches, while İzmir came third with 60 beaches. Other provinces featured on the list included Balıkesir with 45, Aydın with 39, Samsun with 19, Çanakkale with 14, Mersin with 12, Tekirdağ with 10, and Kocaeli with 9 Blue Flag beaches. Bursa had 4 beaches, while Istanbul, Sakarya, Düzce, Bartın, and Ordu each had 3; Yalova and Zonguldak each had 2; and Kırklareli, Van, Adana, and Sinop each had 1 Blue Flag beach.

Across Türkiye, the number of Blue Flag marinas reached 30, tourism boats 18, and private yachts 26 in 2026. Alongside environmentally focused tourism investments, Türkiye’s international brand strength in coastal tourism continued to grow.