The name Kings Beach is bound to create a certain amount of excitement among residents and visitors to Gqeberha.
And the stretch of pristine coastline has continued to exceed the standard after being named as one of only three beaches countrywide to receive Blue Flag status for 10 consecutive years.
Kings Beach, along with Preekstoel in Hessequa and De Bakke in Mossel Bay, were the only beaches to receive this honour when the annual Wildlife and Environment Society of SA (Wessa) Blue Flag Awards ceremony took place at Lookout Beach, in Plettenberg Bay, this week.
In recognition of their excellence in safety, amenities, cleanliness and environmental standards, 57 Blue Flags will be proudly flown at 51 beaches and four marinas and on two tourism boats across SA over the upcoming 2022/23 Blue Flag season
Wessa’s Blue Flag Programme has been in operation for 22 years.
The programme has established itself as the most recognised coastal eco-label in the country and continues to grow into new coastal tourism regions.
The mission of Blue Flag is to promote sustainability in the tourism sector through environmental education and protection and other sustainable development practices.
Wessa CEO Helena Atkinson said SA was one of 48 countries that implemented the internationally recognised eco-label, with 5,042 Blue Flag beaches, marinas and tourism boats across the world.
“The Blue Flag programme has a number of pilot sites (33 in total) which are those sites working towards meeting the minimum requirements to obtain Blue Flag status.
“The goal is to work closely with the local municipalities that run these sites to ensure they are converted into international Blue Flag sites.
“With additional funding support, Wessa could help these sites achieve the goal of being an international site of excellence.
“We will continue to work closely with these sites to understand their challenges and ensure they have the support to move forward,” Atkinson said.
Other Eastern Cape beaches to have earned their Blue Flag status this year include Cape St Francis, Marina Martinique in Jeffreys Bay, Kariega, Kelly and Middle Kenton-on-Sea beaches in the Ndlambe district and Humewood and Hobie beaches.
Though all the usual prominent players along the Western, Eastern and KwaZulu-Natal coastline were re-awarded their status, Knysna did not make the cut.
Knysna municipality spokesperson Nwabisa Pondoyi said: “Knysna municipality applied for the 2022/2023 Blue Flag status but after an assessment by the International Blue Flag jury the Brenton-on-Sea and Buffalo Bay beaches were found to be non-compliant.
“The municipality has ‘pilot’ status this year for both beaches — which means we do all the things that are required of a Blue Flag beach.
“We are committed to working towards getting our beaches back to full Blue Flag status.”
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