Seven of Cape Town's beaches have been awarded Blue Flag status this year, with Big Bay Beach in Blouberg attaining this prestigious status for the first time.

Blue Flag status means that beaches meet 33 criteria, spread across four areas: environmental education and information; water quality; environmental management and safety and services.

Blue Flag is a voluntary international campaign and award scheme that guarantees tourists that the beaches they are visiting are clean and adhere to international safety standards.

"The Blue Flag programme is world-renowned, so visitors to the country and to the city tend to be familiar with it and what it stands for - they know what goes with Blue Flag beaches in terms of cleanliness, infrastructure and other features," said Councillor Gerhard Ras, Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services, City of Cape Town.

"But the benefit is twofold. For locals, it also means these are maintained at a high standard, thereby guaranteeing them good beaches.

"For instance, Mnandi Beach used to be a no-go beach, and now families are going there and feeling safer there, so it's now one of the best-known Blue Flag beaches in the city."

A total of 29 South African beaches have been given Blue Flag status this year, which is good news for tourism as it increases the country's desirability and reputation as a world-class destination, said Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk.

He added that apart from Morocco, South Africa is the only African country which implements the Blue Flag programme.

Gert Bam, Director for Sport, Recreation and Amenities, said although the City receives requests from communities for their beaches to be upgraded to enable them to attain Blue Flag status, these have to be fully assessed in terms of capacity and financial resources.

"Even though the programme forces us to raise our standards, we have to also be aware of the limited resources that we have.

"This year, we have seven beaches, one more beach than last year, so we are being held to high standards."

Cape Town's Blue Flag beaches are:

• Big Bay beach, Bloubergstrand
  
• Clifton Fourth Beach
• Camps Bay
  
• Muizenberg
  
• Strandfontein Beach
  
• Mnandi Beach
  
• Bikini Beach, Gordon's Bay