Turkey boosts beach standards: Alanya earns 79 Blue Flags, Antalya enforces smoke‑free zones

Alanya Municipality secured Blue Flag certification for a total of 79 sites – six public beaches, 68 facility beaches, four tourism vessels and one marina – confirming the city's compliance with strict criteria on water quality, environmental management, safety, education and accessibility. The award marks the municipality's sixth consecutive win for environmental education and helps keep Turkey among the three countries with the most Blue Flag beaches worldwide.

In Antalya, the governor announced the launch of the “Blue Mediterranean Initiative”, designating Lara, Belek, Çamyuva and Beach Park as smoke‑free beaches starting tomorrow. The measure aims to curb litter from cigarette butts, protect marine ecosystems and shield children from passive smoking. Special smoking cabins will be installed at intervals, and the policy is part of broader plans to extend smoke‑free zones to parks, schools and other public areas, following similar regulations in several European nations and Australia.