The blue flags have been raised on the beaches, the tourism season has begun

In Mersin, which has a 321-kilometer coastline along the Mediterranean, the tourism season began with the raising of blue flags, and the sudden increase in temperature delighted early vacationers. Mersin, one of Turkey's important tourism destinations, has 41 beaches along its 321-kilometer Mediterranean coast. Eleven of these 41 beaches offer blue flag services, meeting 30 criteria. With the arrival of June and the sudden rise in temperatures, tourism started to revive in the city, and blue flags were raised. At Erdemli Kumkuyu beach, preferred by families for its sandy shores and shallow waters extending up to 200 meters, the blue flag brought from the sea was raised by Governor Ali Hamza Pehlivan. Despite the season just beginning, many citizens have started swimming, taking advantage of the warm weather, and it is expected that the crowd will increase in the coming weeks.

Governor Ali Hamza Pehlivan, noting that they had just carried out the blue flag application, stated that this application indicates the beach meets 33 separate criteria. Emphasizing that the application is also monitored by three different ministries, Governor Pehlivan said, 'With this application, beaches that meet the criteria receive a blue flag, subject to annual updates. Our province has 11 blue flag beaches. With this number, our province ranks 8th among the cities in Turkey with the most blue flags.'

Water samples are taken every 15 days. Governor Pehlivan mentioned that a significant portion of the 33 criteria is mandatory, while some serve as guidelines. He also noted that after the flag is awarded, the processes do not end, as necessary inspections are conducted every year and evaluated by national and international experts.

Emphasizing that Mersin has 43 beaches, Pehlivan said, 'We were just with our tourism stakeholders. We also discussed with stakeholders operating in our province. We have 11 blue flag beaches, which currently corresponds to one-fourth of our total beaches. Our goal is to increase this number by at least 100% in a suitable period. In the coming years, we aim to double it initially. Eventually, we discussed making all 41 beaches blue flag beaches over time. Our initial target is to double the number.'