DA welcomes Blue Flag beaches in Cape Town and urges Durban to take part
The Democratic Alliance (DA) welcomes that Cape Town has been awarded the most Blue Flag accredited beaches in the country. The Blue Flag awards will strengthen the warranted perception that Cape Town is a world class tourist destination.
Blue Flag status is a voluntary eco-label award only awarded to beaches that have achieved the highest quality in water, facilities, safety, environmental education and management. The program is run by the independent non-profit organisation Foundation for Environmental Education and covers over 3,450 beaches and marinas in 41 countries worldwide.
For Cape Town this comes at the most opportune time - just ahead of the 2010 World Cup and it means that tourists can enjoy our beaches knowing that they meet the highest quality standards.
However the DA is concerned about the absence of Durban's beaches on the Blue Flag list and the fact that the city lost several Blue Flag awards on its beaches because its municipal manager, Michael Sutcliffe, does not see the benefits in participating.
Sutcliffe, who appears to be the only one at odds with the national drive to improve our beaches, said the loss of Blue Flag status for the city had not affected tourism. He claims that Durban's beaches are of a higher standard than required by the Blue Flag scheme. If this is the case, why does he not want the city to take part in it?