|
The Blue Flag
is a project for preserving the sea and coast which
has been carried out in Europe for fifteen years
now, and includes beaches and marinas, and from the
year 2000 has extended throughout world.
This project has also been carried out in Croatia
from the year 1997, when the Association of the
friends of nature Our Lovely was nominated by the
Foudation for Environmental Education in Europe a
national coordinator and carrier of this project in
the Republic of Croatia.
The Blue Flag symbolizes preserved, safe and
pleasant environment for fun, relaxation and
recreation, but it also includes an elaborated
system of managing the resources, and sustainable
development in tourism.
Beaches and marinas, which carry the Blue Flag,
offer quality services, have a clean seacoast, and
are tidy and adequately equipped. The Blue Flag is
not only a symbol of quality and ecological
perseverance, but it also represents top quality
tourism.
This prestigious symbol is awarded only to those
beaches and marinas which meet all the requirements
which are set according to individual criteria, but
have in common the fact that they always take care
of the quality of the sea and the coast, education
and inform the public about environmental
protection, managing the resources, and the safety
and quality of services.
The Blue Flag is awarded for the period of
one year, and is raised at the beginning of June.
For each year it is necessary to fill the
questionnaire about the criteria in order to have
the license extended.
In Croatia, this project was started in 1997 and in
the very next year only Punat marina met the
necessary requirements. During the year 1999 13
beaches and marinas were awarded the Blue Flag, and
in the year 2000 22 beaches and marinas had this
prestigious proof of cleanness and quality. |
