Today, the port of Roses hosted the 2025 Blue Flag ceremony recognising quality beaches and ports in Catalonia. This year, Sitges once again topped the list of Catalan cities with blue flags and came in fifth in Spain. The Port Ginesta marina also earned a blue flag. A total of 101 beaches throughout Catalonia (6 more than in 2024) and 23 ports (the same number as last year) secured this recognition.

Specifically, the Sitges beaches that will fly the blue flag are Les Botigues, Garraf, Aiguadolç, Balmins, Sant Sebastià, La Ribera, L’Estanyol, La Barra and Terramar. The nine flags were presented to Carme Gasulla, the city councillor for Climate Action, the Energy Transition and Natural Spaces. “Preserving Sitges’s beaches and guaranteeing high-quality services and water are priorities for the municipal government,” Gasulla said. “The fact that Sitges has been the city with the most blue flags for several years now reflects our strong commitment to sustainability, caring for the coastline and excellence in tourism.”

The event was also attended by Sílvia Paneque, the Catalan government minister for the Interior, Housing and the Ecological Transition; and José Palacios, the chair of the Environmental and Consumer Education Association (ADEAC), as well as representatives from most of the towns and cities with beaches that earned this distinction. Blue flags are awarded annually by the Foundation for Environmental Education’s (FEE) Blue Flag International Jury, in collaboration with ADEAC. The internationally recognised honour recognises and rewards environmental management and information, excellent water quality, facilities and optimal service provision, and accessibility and assistance for people with disabilities. It also requires marinas to demonstrate excellent environmental management.

Of the 101 blue-flag beaches, 27 are in the Girona administrative area, 24 in Barcelona, 23 in Penedès, 18 in Tarragona and 9 in Terres de l’Ebre. As for the 23 marinas, 9 are in the Girona area, 7 in Barcelona, 1 in Penedès, 2 in Tarragona and 4 in Terres de l’Ebre.

A total of 642 Spanish beaches earned this honour, 4 more than last year, making Spain the country with the most blue flags in the world.

The Blue Flag programme is present in 52 countries on 5 continents. In Spain, the 2025 Blue Flag Jury was made up of 58 people (48 members and 10 observers) from different areas linked to education, health, safety, accessibility, the environment, tourism and law. These participants represented 34 public and private institutions, including autonomous regions and various ministries, universities, foundations and associations, as well as UN Tourism (in an observer capacity).