Cyprus received 56 Blue Flags in 2026

This year, 54 Cypriot beaches and two marinas — in Limassol and Ayia Napa — received the international quality mark for water cleanliness, safety and infrastructure. The awards ceremony, attended by Environment Minister Maria Panayiotou, took place on Thursday at Nissi Beach. Despite the fact that Cyprus has been recognized three times in a row as the EU leader in bathing water quality, the total number of flags fell by eight compared with last year. This is due to the fact that Limassol and Amathus deliberately did not apply, having agreed with the organization CYMEPA to replace participation in the program with enhanced internal coastal monitoring, while water quality there remained at the same high level.

The leading recipient of environmental awards was the unified municipality of Paralimni-Deryneia, which collected 18 flags in the resort area of Protaras. Ayia Napa came second with 16 flags, followed by Amathus with 9 awards and Paphos with 6 flags. In Geroskipou and Larnaca, three beaches each received the prestigious mark, on the Akamas peninsula — two, and the communities of Oroklini, Zygi, Pentakomo, Parekklisia, Episkopi, Pissouri and Lempa were each awarded one. The presence of a Blue Flag guarantees holidaymakers strict compliance with international standards, including mandatory lifeguard duty, separate waste collection and the readiness of emergency services for crisis situations.