Tourism Minister Mario de Marco said that the Riviera Bay in Għajn Tuffieħa, St George’s Bay, the Bugibba perched beach, Ghadira, Qawra point and the Ramla l-Hamra in Gozo were awarded the Blue Flag status.

Furthermore another three beaches, namely Golden Bay, Fond Ghadir and the private bay at the Paradise Bay Resort Hotel in Cirkewwa were awarded the beach of quality award, which was given to those beaches which satisfied 70 per cent of the blue flag beach criteria.

Minister de Marco said that one of the criteria to achieve blue flag status was the bathing water quality. He added that in the past four years, the government invested €108 million in the building of drainage treatment plants making Malta the first country in the Mediterranean to treat all its drainage before this is dumped into the sea.

The work for the beaches to get the blue flag award is coordinated between the government, the Malta Tourism Authority and the Gaia Foundation.

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