Cape Town Gets Most Blue Flags for Beaches

Blue Flag awards to strengthen Cape Town's status as a world class tourist destination

We Capetonians have always known that Cape Town’s beaches are among the best in the world and now we know our beautiful beaches are finally getting their due from the Blue Flag Awards. After a review in October 2009 it has been announced that Cape Town has received the most Blue Flag status beaches in South Africa.

“The Democratic Alliance welcomes that Cape Town has been awarded the most Blue Flag accredited beaches in the country. The Blue Flag awards will strengthen the warranted perception that Cape Town is a world class tourist destination,” said the DA government.

Blue Flag status is a voluntary eco-label award only awarded to beaches that have achieved the highest quality in water, facilities, safety, environmental education and management. The program is run by the independent non-profit organisation, Foundation for Environmental Education and covers over 3 450 beaches and marinas in 41 countries worldwide.

For Cape Town this comes at the most opportune time – just ahead of the 2010 World Cup – and it means that tourists can enjoy our beaches knowing that they meet the highest quality standards.

“There are plenty of reasons to join the Blue Flag scheme. It encourages good practices regarding water quality, environmental management, safety, services and environmental education. Secondly, it allows the municipality to openly fly the Blue Flag, which helps to promote the beach to tourists,” said DA representatives.

The Western Cape has several accredited beaches. This year more beaches around the Cape have been added to the list. These include Plettenberg Bay’s Robberg 5, Yzerfontein main beach, Mossel Bay’s Santos, Hartenbos and Kleinmond near Hermanus.

Cape Town centre has achieved Blue Flag status for seven of its beaches; Clifton Fourth, Camps Bay, Mnandi, Muizenberg, Strandfontein,  Bikini Beach in Gordon’s Bay, and Big Bay in Blouberg.

The DA will urge Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk to encourage all coastal municipalities to engage in the Blue Flag scheme ahead of the World Cup,so that South Africa can maximise its tourism potential.

Read more about Cape Town’s beaches in our selection of Cape Town’s 5 Best Beaches.

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