• It is in the Hérault that the number of beaches labeled Blue Flag is the most important: 44, out of 14 municipalities, won this precious distinction this year.

  • To have it, the quality of the water must be excellent, but the municipality must also make great efforts in terms of equipment and environmental protection.

  • It is, for the coastal towns, a real accelerator for tourism.

The Blue Flag floats over the most beautiful swimming spots every summer.

In France, it is in the Hérault that the number of labeled beaches is the highest: 44, spread over 14 cities, won this precious distinction in 2021.

The criteria for having the right to hoist the blue flag, created in 1985, are strict: not only the quality of the bathing water must be classified as "excellent" by the regional health agency, but the municipality must also show that it pays special attention to the cleanliness of the beach, that the local wastewater treatment plant meets standards, that the collection and recycling of waste is virtuous or that it offers facilities for people with mobility scaled down.

The announcement of the # Blue Flag 2021 Laureates was yesterday! 🥳


A big thank you to all the participants in the ceremony, to the speakers of the round tables and to our partners.👏 # PalmarèsPB2021 #TourismeDurable #label pic .twitter.com / NHBUl1K8sL

- Blue Flag France (@PavillonBleu) May 21, 2021

"The challenge is to manage the impact of tourism"

"The Blue Flag guarantees excellent bathing water quality, this is the starting point, and this is what many people are looking for," says Thierry Lerévérend, the managing director of Teragir, the association that bears the label. Blue flag.

But to prevent attractiveness from turning against it, and damaging the natural space, the beach must also be remarkable, in terms of safety or equipment.

"

For the municipalities, for 36 years, the label has been a real accelerator for tourism.

According to a BVA survey, published in 2016, 67% of French people surveyed know the Blue Flag and, among them, 81% say that it plays a role in choosing their destination for the holidays.

There is no “automatic rush of reservations or cancellations, relativizes Thierry Lerévérend.

But it's something that matters ”.

The interest of the label, continues the CEO, is to "change the game" in terms of environmental preservation, and "if there are more tourists, it is a plus, so much the better.

But we are in destinations which are often very touristy.

The challenge for us is rather to manage the impact of tourism.

"

"Something very important"

"We have had the Blue Flag for more than thirty years, and this is something very important for the municipality," says Gwendoline Chaudoir, the mayor (Agir) of Portiragnes, whose beaches, La Redoute and Le Bosquet, are labeled Blue Flag. This leads us, each year, to renew ourselves in terms of preserving our coastline or in terms of educational actions. It is a truly stimulating process. I think that if, one year, we did not have the Blue Flag, our image would be degraded. It is because we would have missed something. "

And when cities miss the boat, they often immediately put their hand in the wallet in the hope of raising the flag again as quickly as possible. “The municipalities often make really significant efforts, sometimes costly,” continues Thierry Lerévérend. This is the case in Marseillan. The prestigious seaside resort lost the label in 2020. Busy managing the health crisis, the town has somewhat missed the awareness panels, indicate the city's services

20 Minutes away.

Since then, it has “put the package together” and has even implemented other actions, such as a Biodiversity Day. And she was able to recover the popular Blue Flag this year.

In Teragir, we also support the municipalities to progress, in order to win the famous flag.

An online tool makes it possible to check, step by step, their suitability with the label.

This prevents those who have little chance of being labeled to put together a file in vain.

"We try to prevent failure as much as possible," notes Thierry Lerévérend.

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