Costa Rica has beaches of great natural beauty, which is a very important factor for national and international tourist attraction. Fortunately there is harmony between the development of coastal and hotel boom, with the environmental protection of the beaches.
In light of the above, the Costa Rican Institute of Aqueducts and Sewers, through its Central Laboratory, regularly assesses the quality of the beach water to make medical diagnoses and protect the health of visitors to coastal areas. It promotes an annual evaluation system that serves as an incentive for the care of the beaches, which is to give the “Blue Flag” to the community that satisfies the requirements in regards to of seawater, beach quality, access to drinking water, sewage treatment, environmental education, security and management.
The “Blue Flag” is set as an incentive to hoteliers, tourism chambers and to protect coastal communities, in their entirety, the beaches of Costa Rica. This incentive is an adaptation of the “Blue Flag” awarded by the European Union since 1985.
