For the tenth year running South African beaches have been evaluated, and 15 beaches in the Western Cape, and five in Cape Town alone, have been awarded Blue Flag status, reports Southern African Tourism Update.  In total 27 beaches have been awarded Blue Flag status around the country, meaning that the Western Cape has the cleanest beaches in general in the country, an excellent benefit for tourism.   Another 14 beaches are ‘bubbling under’, working on their Blue Flag status for next year. 

Ten years ago only three South African beaches were awarded Blue Flag status.   South Africa is the only country outside of Europe to have its beaches tested for quality.   This ensures that locals as well as tourists can be guaranteed world-class beaches and facilities, being safe, clean and well-managed.   Climate change is affecting the quality of beaches and its facilities, and municipalities are commended for spending scarce financial resources to rehabilitate these beaches in order to meet and maintain the Blue Flag standards.     

The 27 Blue Flag beaches are the following:

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio:  www.whalecottage.com  Twitter: @WhaleCottage