It’s what every family wants when they go on holiday – a great-value resort with a Blue Flag Beach thrown in.
So where are the best-value Blue Flag beaches in Europe? The winner is…the Turkish region of Antalya, says holiday specialist On The Beach.
The online travel agent delved into its booking data and the number of Blue Flag beaches to find out which favourite beach destinations offered the best value for money – in terms of the number of Blue Flag beaches by destination versus the average cost of a holiday.
In case you didn’t know, a Blue Flag Beach award is recognised as the gold standard for beaches and given to those which meet its strict criteria including that it is clean and safe for swimming.
The On The Beach research showed the ever-popular Turkish region of Antalya, which has a whopping 194 Blue Flag beaches, offers the ultimate value for money. Holidays to Turkey are more affordable than ever, as hoteliers attempt to attract more British holidaymakers to its shores, with further research revealing that four-star hotels in the sun-kissed region are available from just £122 per week this year.
The Algarve region of Portugal offers the second-best value in terms of Blue Flag beaches with 84 in total and four-star hotels from just £229 per week, while the sun-kissed Costa Blanca region in Spain comes in third place with 62 Blue Flag beaches and similar standard hotels from £296 per week.
The Mediterranean island of Cyprus, which attracts more than one million UK visitors to its shores each year and offers four-star hotels from £225 per week, is named the fourth best value hot spot with 57 Blue Flag beaches, with the Balearic island of Majorca taking fifth place with 31 award-winning Blue Flag beaches and four-star hotels from £423 for a week.
Top 10 best value Blue Flag beach destinations
- Antalya, Turkey (194)
- Algarve, Portugal (84)
- Costa Blanca, Spain (62)
- Cyprus (57)
- Majorca, Spain (31)
- Rhodes, Greece (26)
- Costa Del Sol, Spain (17)
- Gran Canaria, Spain (16)
- Tenerife, Spain (13)
- Malta (12)
Alan Harding, Marketing Director at On the Beach said: “There are thousands of glorious beaches across Europe and our research has revealed which destinations offer the very best value in terms of beach quality. Whilst Spain has more Blue Flag beaches than any other country overall, Antalya and its surrounding resorts – such as Belek and Side, is home to more Blue Flag beaches than any other single destination and offers phenomenal value in terms of accommodation.”
Clean and safe: Here’s where all the Blue Flag beaches are
