Antalya Governor Launches Smoke‑Free Beach Initiative on World Environment Day

On 4‑5 June, Antalya Governor Hulusi Şahin inaugurated a pilot “smoke‑free beach” program at Kaputaş Beach in Kaş as part of the Mavi Akdeniz Initiative, announcing plans to extend the restriction and provide designated smoking areas on public beaches. The launch coincided with World Environment Day activities that included a dive at Antalya Yacht Marina to highlight marine litter, the installation of water refill stations to reduce single‑use PET bottles, and broader waste‑reduction projects such as shoreline barriers and waste‑collection vessels.

Simultaneously, districts across Antalya held coordinated clean‑up events. In Manavgat, officials led a shoreline cleanup and a Blue Flag award ceremony; in Alanya, a program at Damlataş 100th Year Atatürk Park featured school competitions, battery‑collection drives, and an “Best Balcony and Garden” contest. Aksu’s Turunç Beach saw a large volunteer cleanup under the governor’s patronage. The series of activities emphasized community participation, youth education, and the goal of keeping the Mediterranean coast “clean forever.”