Blue flags have been raised on the beaches, the tourism season has started

In Mersin, which has a coastline of 321 kilometers on the Mediterranean, the tourism season starts with the hoisting of blue flags, while a sudden increase in temperature has delighted early vacationers. Mersin, one of Turkey’s important tourism destinations with a 321-kilometer coastline on the Mediterranean, has 41 beaches. 11 of these beaches provide service as blue flag beaches for meeting 30 criteria. With the arrival of June and a sudden rise in temperatures, tourism has begun to revive in the city, and blue flags have been hoisted. The blue flag brought from the sea was hoisted by Governor Ali Hamza Pehlivan at Erdemli Kumkuyu beach, which is preferred by families due to its shallow depth of up to 200 meters. Although the season is just starting, it is noted that many citizens have started to swim in the sea, taking advantage of the warm weather, and an increase in density is expected in the city within a few weeks.
“11 beaches have blue flags” Governor Ali Hamza Pehlivan, who stated that they have just implemented the blue flag application, noted that this application indicates that the beach meets 33 different criteria. Governor Pehlivan emphasized that the application is also monitored by 3 different ministries, saying, “Beaches meeting the criteria are awarded the blue flag annually provided that they are updated. In our province, 11 beaches have blue flags. With this number, our province ranks 8th among the cities with the most blue flags in Turkey.”
Every 15 days, a water sample is taken. Pehlivan also mentioned that a significant part of the 33 criteria is mandatory, while some are guiding in nature. He stated that a water sample is taken every 15 days, and after the flag is awarded, the procedures do not end, and necessary inspections are carried out every year, evaluated by national and international experts. Emphasizing that there are 43 beaches in Mersin, Pehlivan said, “A while ago, we were with our tourism stakeholders. Especially, we talked with our stakeholders operating in our province. We have 11 beaches with blue flags. It corresponds to one-fourth at the moment. We aim for at least a 100% increase in the near future. In the coming years, let’s double it in the first stage. We talked about making all 41 beaches blue-flagged over time. We set a goal to double it in the first stage.”