The Blue Flag: considerations about a world-renowned ecolabel

The Blue Flag Programme is one of the most recognized ecolabels on a global scale, whose objective is an efficient and effective combination of tourism and environmental protection. However, the knowledge of the majority of people is lacking and usually stops at a superficial level: indeed, very few have a deeper awareness of the actual functioning of the Blue Flag machine. For this reason, the aim of this relation is to provide a clearer representation of the award's ¿backstage¿, focusing on its network and procedures, on the players involved and their roles, and on the specific requirements related to the four areas of interest (water quality, environmental management, environmental education, safety and services). In this context, positive and negative considerations about the Programme and related points of strength and points of weakness to be improved are identified in the light of a scientific literature review.