Held at the Iate Clube de Santa Catarina - Veleiros da Ilha in Florianópolis on 6 November, Brazil’s national Blue Flag ceremony recognised 12 marinas for meeting international environmental, safety and management standards. The Instituto Ambientes em Rede (IAR) organised the event, which also celebrated 20 years of the programme in the country and introduced a new digital platform for certification applications.
The Blue Flag Programme has operated in Brazil since 2006 and evaluates beaches and marinas based on standards for water quality, environmental management, safety and responsible tourism. For the 2026/2027 season, the programme approved 75 destinations across seven Brazilian states, covering 63 beaches and 12 marinas.
Santa Catarina recorded the highest number of awards at 38, including five marinas: Tedesco Marina, Iate Clube de Santa Catarina, Marina da Conceição, Marina Itajaí and Marina VillaReal. São Paulo had four certified marinas: Iate Clube de Santos - Sede Guarujá, Associação Náutica Barreiros and two facilities in Ubatuba, Marina Kauai and Voga Marine. The remaining marina awards went to Stella Marina in Alagoas, Iate Clube de Caiobá in Paraná and Marina Costabella in Rio de Janeiro.
Leana Bernardi, president of IAR and national coordinator of the Blue Flag Programme, said its 20-year history in Brazil reflects the collective efforts of municipalities, beach and marina managers, institutions and local communities. She described the programme as “more than the presentation of a flag” and emphasised the importance of continuous improvement, planning and commitment to the quality of coastal and inland waters.
The ceremony also recognised environmental education initiatives at participating destinations, such as projects focused on circular economy practices and cooperation with Foundation for Environmental Education programmes. Another development was the launch of a digital platform by Blue Flag Brazil in partnership with Embratur, Brazil’s tourism promotion agency. The platform aims to simplify certification applications for beach and marina managers by providing a more organised system for submitting documents and information, as well as increase the visibility of certified destinations in international tourism markets.
