T e n e r i f e ’ s f a v o u r i t e b r i t i s h w e e k ly n e w s p a p e r Issue 717
19 August 2011 - 25 August 2011
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Beach gets the Blues! Fanabe is heavily criticised by the Canaries’ inspector
THIS year’s withdrawal of a prestigious Blue Flag awarded to the Playa Fanabe beach has led to scathing criticism of the Adeje municipality. It is one of five Tenerife’s beaches to have lost the status in recent weeks, and Eladio Díaz, the Blue Flag inspector in the Canaries, singled out Adeje in particular. Fanabe, which comes under the Adeje administration, flew the flag in 2009 and last year, and Diaz said: “It’s a shame they do not look after their beaches, considering the local economy is based around it.” He added that there were safety issues at the Adeje beach, and that the important lifeguard post had to be much improved in order to reach the qualifying standard for the international award again. Of the 10 Blue Flags awarded in Tenerife in June, only five remain. And, warns García, there will be more inspections over the next few weeks. Another Southern resort which had its Blue Flag status removed this year is the Leocadio Machado beach in El Médano, although the inspector offered no reason for this reversal. The loss of the award at beaches in El Socorro (Los Realejos) and Playa Jardín (Puerto de la Cruz), followed by the latest withdrawal at Tacaronte, means there are no Blue Flag beaches in the North Tenerife. Playa Jardin officials will have been kicking themselves as they lost their status because the lifeguard was not in position when the beach was inspected. The Blue Flag award programme, which started in France, was elevated to international status in 1987 and has since turned global, featuring in 41 countries. It is instigated annually by the Foundation for Environmental
Education (FEE) - a non-government, non-profit organisation to beaches offering high standards of facilities and services to residents and tourists alike, plus cleanliness of both coastal waters and surrounding areas. And local prestige is not the only thing at stake because diligent holiday-makers, travelling to a country (or island) for the first time, invariably check out their destinations. This seal of approval by the FEE to beaches also means so much to their respective Town Halls. That’s because Tenerife, always mindful of the tourist industry, regards holiday-makers as even more essential to the economy in these austere times. It also means a lot to the tourists, who know they can sunbathe and swim to their hearts’ content, safe in the knowledge that their beaches and the surrounding areas have again been awarded the ultimate accolade. They know the water is of excellent quality, as are the toilet facilities, and that the general area is in tip-top condition. The Troya beach in Playa de Las Americas, also in the Adeje municipality and a regular Blue Flagger, is flying high again this summer. In fact, Troya can be seen as a role model in the South because it has received the Blue Flag award every year barring 2008 since 1997. That speaks volumes for the care and attention shown by everyone involved in keeping the beach in pristine condition. Rafael Dolado, Adeje’s recently-appointed Tourism Councillor, who attended the Troya flag-hoisting ceremony last month, said: It is a great pleasure to provide our residents and tourists with a quality beach such as Troya. “So far this summer, it is attracting a high concentration of visitors, who opt for our natural and recreational facilities.” But how will Adeje’s tourist chief react to the stinging criticism of Playa Fanabe, dished out by the Canaries’ Blue Flag inspector?