It’s summertime and the weather is fine, goes the odd song and after a heat wave this week, Israel remembers how amazing and simple it is to spend your days away at the beach. Beaches are great activities for kids, for teens, for parents. Bring a picnic or sit up at one of Israel’s beach bars, and you have a day, or even a week of fun. Of course you need to wear sunscreen and be mindful of sun exposure, but for that you can bring or rent a beach umbrella. Where to choose when Israel has so many beaches to offer? Even the City of Tel Aviv has about a dozen beaches to choose from, so we like to recommend the beaches with the Blue Flag.

The Blue Flag is an international symbol for environmental conservation at the beach. This designation is given to 21 beaches in Israel that have demonstrated eco-standards for their sandt and seaside boardwalks. Water cleanliness, wheelchair accessibility and trash management are all criteria for getting a Blue Flag. So if you see one blowing, you know stewards of that beach are adhering to strict standards that are tested twice a month. 

Some of the standards via Israel’s Ministry of Environment Protection include:

Blue Flags are awarded every year. Tel Aviv consistently gets a number of Blue Flags, usually at Metzitzim — Tel Aviv’s northernmost beach, and which also happens to be the city’s only man-made lagoon, where it’s safe for kids and dogs to come and jump in the water; and Tel Aviv’s Jerusalem Beach, which is great for walking to, but which is also wheelchair accessible and includes a workout spot for adults.

Haifa and Eilat tend to pick up a Blue Flag every year, including Dado Beach in Haifa which offers, beach couches, free WiFi services, lots of shade and a mile and a half of beach promenade.

Down in Eilat, which will get scorching hot is the Blue Flag Shchafim Beach, located along the promenade beside the Dan Hotel one of many Israel luxury hotels. It’s a magnet for international travellers and Israelis who jump on a plane from Tel Aviv for some low cost staycations.

The Dan Hotel in Eilat, while a large hotel chain, is a good place to stay since Eilat offers little in the way of boutique or eco hotels. A feature from Dan is great programs for kids, which keeps them happy while parents get to relax. This hotel has also made a commitment to sustainability with some projects and features such as:

•  Thermal windows to reduce air conditioning costs. It get smoking hot in Eilat!
• Heat recovery systems that use energy emitted from the air conditioning systems to heat swimming pools
• Equilibrium pools in all their hotels to save energy and water

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Now that the turkey and its trimmings have digested in your belly, time to start planning a spring eco holiday! Time for Turkey? The country’s natural beaches enjoy little development (that might change) are now considered to be the top three beaches in the world.

According to Blue Flag, an exclusively international eco-label given to beaches and marinas, Turkey’s beaches rank third in the world.

The Turkish Environment Education Association General Manager Erol Gungor  said, “383 beaches and 21 marinas in Turkey have been awarded so far, and now we are third in Blue Flag.”

While eco-forward Israel to the south has just started earning Blue Flags, we must keep in mind that Turkey has “Blue Flag” experience for 20 years, and it plans to increase the numbers.

While it is a bit cold for swimming in Turkey right now (unless you go the hot springs), it is a most divine location for a late spring or summer holiday. The beaches stretch for hundreds of miles along the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean, and are unmatched due to little development and clear blue aquamarine colors. There are places to party (and treehouses to live in for a week or more) but most of the beaches are unoccupied.

That scenery with local food and hospitality make Turkey and awesome getaway. I spent a week on a chartered sailboat along the Med before heading to Syria and it was an eco-travellers dream.

Turkey has a booming organic food industry and a heightened sense of ecological awareness. We hope this remains true as the country opens up its real estate market to foreign buyers.

Blue Flag is an exclusive eco-label given to beaches and marinas having reached to a standard stated in the criteria. It is an international program currently being implemented in 41 countries around the world including South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia, Israel, Jordan and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.

The Blue Flag works towards sustainable development at beaches/marinas through strict criteria dealing with water quality, environmental education and information, environmental management, and safety and other services.

Above image of Oludeniz from a paraglide (bird’s eye view), Fethiye, Turkey

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The standards were developed by the the 30-year-old Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE). Now the United Arab Emirates proudly flies blue flags at 24 marinas and beaches. Most of the beaches are in the capital of Dubai, with one in Fujairah.

There are about 4000 Blue Flag beaches and marinas around the world in about 50 countries.

It is considered both hard work and an honor to achieve the flag, which can be removed if any of the eco-conditions are not met. The body makes sure that regular tests are done. If any negatives are reported, the flag comes down. This happened to one beach already for a short time in the UAE.

When I interviewed eco-ocean from Israel about the nine Blue Flags they helped to fly in Israel, they told me that some travellers will choose destinations based on Blue Flags alone, so it is something important for hoteliers and beach managers to consider.

Among the strict conditions that need to be met are third party water testing to make sure the waters are safe for swimming. The beach must include recycling bins, be free of charge and be accessible for the disabled and by bus.

The quality of water quality in the UAE is considered generally good, although the building industry has taken a toll on coastline flow, which has led to a build up of algae and pollutants. The coastline development also kills coral.

We bet this beach in Dubai where hundreds of dead cormorants were found won’t be Blue Flagged, but we admire the initiative over all as a way to educate the public and to get change-makers rolling towards a more sane way to manage beachfront natural resources.

The Blue Flag United Arab Emirates page is not yet updated, but click here to see the beaches that already have the Blue Flag. There are 8 beaches and 4 marinas. In the coming days, this is likely to be updated.

The post Eco Blue Flags Fly at 12 More Green Beaches in United Arab Emirates appeared first on Green Prophet.

The city of Abu Dhabi has become the first Arabian Gulf location to gain a Blue Flag environmental award for one of its beaches.

The certification has been awarded to the famous Abu Dhabi Corniche, a four mile stretch of coastline which is also a major tourist attraction, featuring big-name hotels as well as amenities such as cycle tracks, volleyball courts, children’s playgrounds and secure swimming areas. According to the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA), the Corniche was recently ranked amongst the top ten visitor attractions in the Emirate in a tourist poll.

Green Prophet has recently reported on schemes to improve Abu Dhabi’s environmental record, especially amongst its marine habitats, and to educate local schoolchildren about conservation. But the Emirates region also faces ongoing challenges to the marine environment, including illegal shark fishing.

Blue Flag accreditation involves a series of environmental criteria in areas such as water quality, environmental management and education, as well as human elements such as public safety and services. The award was made by the Emirates Wildlife Society–World Wildlife Fund (EWS-WWF), an NGO which acts as the national coordinator for the Blue Flag Programme in the UAE. Accreditations are overseen internationally by an umbrella body, the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), a “non-governmental, non-profit organisation promoting sustainable development through environmental education”.

Mubarak Al Muhairi, Director-General of the ADTA, said in response to the accreditation that: “This award reflects the hard work Abu Dhabi has put into ensuring our beachfront is sustained to international standards for the enjoyment of residents and visitors alike. It’s a cause of double celebration to secure Blue Flag status ahead of the arrival of the Volvo Ocean Race, as we’re anticipating welcoming thousands of international visitors, here to witness the flotilla and enjoy a packed programme of entertainment.”

Launched in 1987, Blue Flag is a voluntary eco-label run by the non-government, non-profit organisation the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), and is acknowledged by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). Abu Dhabi’s Corniche joins beaches and marinas in just over 40 countries worldwide to have won the accolade.

Other countries in the Middle East and North Africa which already have Blue Flag awards for their beaches include Cyprus, Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia and Turkey.

[Photo by Mark Kirchner]

Read more about Abu Dhabi’s environmental record on Green Prophet:
Feeding Abu Dhabi With Water From Air
The UAE’s Plastic Bag Story Isn’t Eco-Happy Yet
Abu Dhabi Cyclists Are A Riding Target

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