ABSTRACT
Being the world’s most recognizable beach certification scheme, Blue Flag (BF) has received increasing attention in the literature. The critics of BF point to the fact that BF is focused primarily on amenities and visitor satisfaction, and that it is unable to effectively respond to the criteria of integrated management such as planning, stakeholder participation and conflict resolution. However, a growing body of research shows that beyond the amenity and economic focus of BF, the certification has another layer that addresses sustainability issues and offers a set of crucial advantages for beach managers and local government offices. This chapter draws from literature about the BF as well as the authors’ empirical research on the effectiveness of BF as a tool for sustainable tourism. The strengths and weaknesses of BF are presented focusing on the social, political and managerial values of BF that are rarely discussed in the literature. The chapter addresses the limitations of BF as a tool for sustainable development measured through a set of common sustainability indicators, and explains the disparity between scholars’ expectations about the effectiveness of BF and the actual role that beach certifications play in fostering sustainability.
