Alicante province tops Blue Flag beaches leaderboard

Find out which new beaches have gained or regained the prestigious award, and which have lost theirs in 2025

Poniente beach in Benidorm

With a total of 89 Blue Flags, Alicante has received more of these distinctions than any other province in Spain this year for the excellence, quality and commitment to environmental protection of its beaches, ports and tourist ferries.

This year’s tally, awarded by the Association for Environmental and Consumer Education (Adeac), includes 71 Blue Flags for beaches, 17 for ports and one for a tourist boat, far outstripping the total of 60 for second-placed Pontevedra.

The region’s three provinces obtained 164 Blue Flags, including 39 in Valencia and 36 in Castellón, five more than last year, topping the national ranking once again and making up two out of every 10 in all Spain.

Alicante alone accounts for over 11% of the national total.

ADEAC has also recognised 23 Valencian municipalilties’ interpretation centres, which highlight local ecosystems and raise awareness about environmental problems, 13 of them in Alicante.

There are six beaches in the Valencia region which have received a Blue Flag for the first time, three of which are in Alicante: El Bol in Altea; Punta Negra in Denia and Ortigues Campo in Guardamar del Segura.

Moreover, three beaches in the province have managed to regain their Blue Flags, after being stripped of them in recent years: Cala Estaca in Orihuela and Racó del Abir in Alfaz del Pi last received the award in 2023, while Benidorm’s iconic Playa del Poniente, which stretches for over three kilometres, has not had one since 2021.

Poniente beach lost its flag due to water quality problems and Benidorm decided not to put any of its three beaches forward for the Blue Flag awards in 2023.

However Mal Pas in Benidorm was one of four beaches in Alicante province that have now lost Blue Flags which they held in 2024, along with L’Albufereta in Alicante, L’Espigó in Altea and Cala Mosca in Orihuela.

Orihuela remains the municipality with the most blue flags in the Valencia region, its total of 11 being the third highest in Spain, behind only Sanxenxo (19) and Vigo (13).

Image: Visit Benidorm