Blue Flag Beaches

Economic Growth, Tourism and Sustainable Management

María A. Prats, Fernando Merino

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2023
• ISBN:
  9781000922080
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Biological Sciences
• Subtopic: Ecology
• Index: Biological Sciences

This book presents a comprehensive study of the role that the Blue Flag beach program has played around the world, considering economic, social and environmental perspectives.

Since its creation in the 1980s, The Blue Flag program awards the management of beaches and marinas based on sustainability, services and quality of their management. To date there are currently close to five thousand awards around the world. Forty years on from the program's creation, this book provides a thorough evaluation of the program, to understand how it has evolved over time, the successes it has enjoyed and the challenges it has overcome, and may face in the future. As an international program, this book reflects the global nature of this program and actively discusses, examines and assesses the different realities and challenges faced by different countries around the world, drawing on case studies from across Europe, North America, Latin America, Africa and Asia. It examines the impact of the award on economic growth, from local to national, environmental protection and education, the development of sustainable tourism, and the sustainable management of beaches. The volume also contributes to emerging debates surrounding the certification of natural resources, where the Blue Flag program has been a pioneer in this field.

This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of sustainable tourism, environmental economics, coastal and beach management, environmental conservation and sustainable development.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title Page
• Series Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• List of contributors
• List of tables and figures
• General introduction
• 1 Origin, first steps and forthcoming challenges to the Blue Flag
• 2 The Blue Flag programme, at national and international levels: What, why, how and where to?
• 3 Blue Flags in the world: A bibliometric analysis
• 4 Social, political and managerial perspectives on Blue Flag beach certification
• 5 Does the Blue Flag program contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals?
• 6 Dive in Blue Flags: A historical evolution in Europe
• 7 The path of Blue Flag in Latin America and the Caribbean: History, challenges and learnings
• 8 Impact of Blue Flags on local economy in Spain
• 9 Blue Flag supporting implementation of environmental policies and nature conservation: The case of Greece
• 10 Blue Flag and tourism destination efficiency: The French case
• 11 The challenge of sustainability in territorial development: The impact of Blue Flag on tourism – the Italian context
• 12 Blue Flags on islands in the Republic of Croatia
• 13 The impact on the local economy of having coastal areas with Blue Flag: The Turkish case
• 14 Blue Flag South Africa: Reflections on a decade of progress
• 15 Challenges and opportunities of the Blue Flag certification in Canada
• 16 Managing paradise: Reflections on the management of Mexican beaches with the Blue Flag label
• 17 Blue Flag in Brazil: Beginning and growth
• 18 Blue Flag in India: Beacons for sustainable costal management
• 19 The status of Blue Flag in Japan: Can Blue Flag be used for beach community development as a sustainable tourist destination?
• General conclusions
• Index