In total there are 26 areas (25 beaches and the marina) that will raise a blue flag this summer, attributed to beaches and marinas that meet requirements for environmental quality, well-being, safety, support and information services and environmental awareness.
This is the fifth year that the coast of Albufeira has blue flags at all the beaches, namely on the beaches of Alemães, Arrifes, Aveiros, Barranco das Belharucas, Castelo, Coelha, Evaristo, Falésia / Açoteias, Falésia / Alfamar, Galé Leste, Galé Oeste, Inatel , Manuel Lourenço, Maria Luísa, Olhos d‘Água, Oura, Oura-Leste, Peneco, Pescadores, Rocha Baixinha, Rocha Baixinha Nascente, Rocha Baixinha Poente, S. Rafael, Salgados, Santa Eulália and at the Marina.
The Mayor, José Carlos Rolo, said: “it is recognition of the great and rigorous work that we have throughout the year. This is proof that Albufeira is an unparalleled tourist destination in the country and for this environmental quality, for our educational concern and for the high quality of our hotels, restaurants, bars and other establishments, that we are the tourism capital of Portugal.” The mayor stresses that this data can only result “in greater motivation, in the face of the discouragement that the pandemic has brought us. However, the people of Albufeira are excellent workers, are committed and respectful and I do not doubt that the rules to protect everyone’s health will be adopted very quickly and that this summer will not fail to be positive, despite being atypical, being a summer under the threat of Covid-19”.
The Mayor says he is confident, despite all the constraints imposed on beaches, public and private spaces, “because the people of Albufeira have always been willing to roll their sleeves up in difficult situations”.
This year, the theme of environmental education is “Back to the Sea with an attitude of change” and, according to the Associação da Bandeira Azul, “considering the context in which we live, we cannot go to the beach in the same way; the seaside remains undoubtedly a place of well-being, but now it implies restrictions, safety distances and increased measures for individual protection.”
For this reason, the Environmental Education teams of the Municipality and the Municipal Civil Protection Service will be daily on the beaches with awareness actions.