The Blue Flag program, implemented in 51 countries by the Turkish Foundation for Environmental Education, represents cleanliness, facilities, safety, environmental education, and sustainability. With a total of 598 Blue Flags, Türkiye ranks third on the list after Spain and Greece.
Only 10 individual boats have the Blue Flag. In Türkiye, this year, 551 beaches, 23 marinas, 14 tourism boats, and 10 individual boats proudly fly the Blue Flag. One of the sea enthusiasts who earned the right to receive the Blue Flag is the Kaynar family, who became boat owners 13 years ago. Since acquiring the boat, the Kaynar family has been earning the Blue Flag every year, thanks to their daughter Tuana, who was only in elementary school at the time.
Asuman Kaynar described the process as follows:
"Tuana was the leading figure in the Blue Flag process. At that time, she was a third-grade student. She did an interview with her friends about how we could keep our seas clean, and then made a presentation. During that time, we contacted the Turkish Foundation for Environmental Education (TÜRÇEV). They also explained that they wanted to reward this with a Blue Flag. Since then, every year, under Tuana's leadership, we distribute brochures related to the environment. We inform people about the Blue Flag and conduct activities on how to keep our seas and environment clean. We have come this far, and every year, we earn the right to receive the Blue Flag."
"As valuable as your boat is, the sea must be equally cherished."
Mehmet Nuri Kaynar, who had fulfilled his childhood dream with his purchase of the boat, emphasized the significance of adhering to the Blue Flag criteria for everyone:
"When we bought the boat, we started to pay close attention to environmental cleanliness. Because everywhere we visited was getting more polluted after a year. What could we do? How can we stop this pollution? We began to research, and the Blue Flag came into our lives. You must embrace the sea. The more valuable your boat is to you, the more valuable the sea must be, the more cherished it must be. This country is our homeland, with its land, rocks, and sea. Because we live on the sea, we take care of the sea."
There are 4 criteria and 17 behavior rules to be followed.
Boat owners who want to obtain the blue flag must apply to the Turkish Foundation for Environmental Education, which represents the program in Türkiye. The applications are evaluated by the National Blue Flag Jury Committee. At this point, there are 4 criteria and 17 behavior rules that the applying boat and boat owners must adhere to.
Some of the rules, which focus on protecting the environment and marine ecosystem and promoting sustainability, are as follows:
