The country now flies 15% of all the world’s Blue Flags, adding 44 distinctions in a single year — its best result in the programme’s four-decade history.
Spain has once again confirmed its place as the world leader of the Blue Flag programme, reaching a total of 794 distinctions in 2026 — 677 beaches, 111 marinas and 6 sustainable tourism boats. The figure means the country now concentrates 15% of all the Blue Flags awarded anywhere in the world in this, the programme’s 40th edition.
The result marks an increase of 44 flags over the previous campaign, a record for the country. Of the awarded beaches, 14 received the distinction for the first time, while 32 recovered a flag they had held in the past.
Cifras clave: 794 Total Blue Flags · 677 Beaches · 111 Marinas · 6 Tourism boats
According to the national operator, ADEAC, 713 beaches applied in 2026 and 677 obtained the flag — a success rate of around 95%, which the association reads as a sign of the strength of the candidatures presented. Spain counts 253 municipalities across 13 autonomous communities and two autonomous cities with at least one distinction.
Valencia and Andalusia lead the regions
By autonomous community, the Valencian Community heads the ranking with 151 flags across 48 municipalities, nine more than in 2025. Andalusia follows with 143 distinctions, Galicia with 118, and Catalonia with 101. In Galicia, Sanxenxo remains the municipality with the most Blue Flags in the whole country, accumulating 21 (18 beaches and 3 marinas).
Only seven beaches and two marinas in the world have flown the Blue Flag without interruption since 1987 — and all of them are in Spain.
Those long-standing sites include the beaches of El Carregador (Alcalà de Xivert), Sant Joan (Alicante), La Fossa (Calpe), Sant Antoni (Cullera), Carrer la Mar (El Campello), Nord (Gandía) and Bastiagueiro (Oleiros), along with the marinas of Club Náutico de Altea and Real Club Náutico Calpe.
A two-year award as a transition
A significant change this edition: the International Blue Flag Jury has granted the awards for a period of two years, covering both 2026 and 2027, as a temporary transition mechanism. The distinction remains subject to annual verification during that window.
The programme, which turns 40 this year, now operates across 51 countries and more than 5,000 locations worldwide, keeping Blue Flag the most widely recognised voluntary eco-label for beaches, marinas and sustainable boating tourism.
Sources: ADEAC official press release, May 2026; figures also reported by National Geographic Viajes and eltiempo.es. Reported and summarised by Blue Flag News. Full data at adeac.es.
A Blue Flag beach on the Spanish coast. Photo: Elisabeth Agustín / Unsplash
