Behind only Spain and Greece, the country confirms its coastline as a global brand — and Antalya remains the single most-awarded province anywhere in the programme.
Türkiye has once again secured third place worldwide in the Blue Flag programme, behind Spain and Greece. The Turkish Environmental Education Foundation (TÜRÇEV) announced the 2026 results in Foça, İzmir: 580 beaches, 30 marinas, 18 tourism boats and 26 private yachts were awarded the eco-label, confirming the country’s strong standing in coastal management.
The Minister of Culture and Tourism, Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, described the country’s coastline as having become “a global brand”, noting that the number of certified beaches has grown to 580 — nearly double the figure recorded a decade ago.
Cifras clave: 580 Beaches · 30 Marinas · 18 Tourism boats · 26 Private yachts
Antalya, the world’s leading province
Antalya remained the province with the most Blue Flag beaches, not only in Türkiye but in the world, with 232 certified beaches. Muğla followed with 113 and İzmir with 60, while Balıkesir (45), Aydın (39) and Samsun (19) also featured prominently on the national list.
With 232 Blue Flag beaches, Antalya alone holds more than most entire countries in the programme.
Among the newly recognised sites was the Bodrum Türkbükü free-entry public beach, flying the Blue Flag for the first time. Türkiye also kept its fourth place worldwide in the tourism boats category, underlining a sustained expansion of its certified coastline since the programme began there in 1993.
Sources: TÜRÇEV 2026 results announced in Foça, İzmir; figures reported by Hürriyet Daily News, Daily Sabah and Anadolu Agency, May 2026. Reported and summarised by Blue Flag News. Full data at mavibayrak.org.tr.
A Blue Flag beach in Antalya, the world’s most-awarded province. Photo: Unsplash
