Caribbean Blue Flag Campaign

This is a voluntary certification program, jointly implemented by the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) and the Caribbean Alliance for Sustainable Tourism (CAST), where an award is given to beaches that fulfil a number of exacting criteria in relation to factors such as quality of bathing water, cleanliness, safety and proper area management. Its long-term objectives are to improve the understanding of the coastal environment, and to promote the incorporation of environmental issues in the decision-making processes of local authorities and their partners. The webpage contains information about the criteria to select award-winning beaches, and about the management of the program in the Caribbean.  It also includes a link to the Blue Flag Program website (Blue Flag is originally an European initiative), which contains more detailed information on the criteria for selecting award-winning beaches. http://www.cha-cast.com/2_blueFlag.asp