Bulgaria’s Sveti Vlas East Beach Retains Blue Flag Status for 20th Time
Jerusalem, 8 June, 2026 (TPS-IL) -- Sveti Vlas, on the Black Sea (BTA) – The East Beach in Bulgaria’s Sveti Vlas resort opened the 2026 season by receiving its 20th Blue Flag award, recognizing concessionaire Venid Beach for consistently maintaining high standards in water quality, safety, environmental management, and visitor services, concessionaire company manager Georgi Chapkanov told BTA on Sunday.
The award marks a milestone season for the beach and reinforces its reputation as one of Bulgaria’s leading Black Sea destinations, Chapkanov emphasized, pointing out that Sveti Vlas East has also been ranked among the world’s top 20 beaches for a classic seaside holiday following a global study of 1,595 beaches across 52 tourism regions.
Chapkanov recalled that the beach has embraced environmental management from the outset, combining nature conservation with visitor comfort. Key priorities include maintaining excellent water quality, providing environmental information, sustainable beach operations, and ensuring visitor safety. Staff receive regular training on environmental standards, water monitoring, and beach safety.
This season, new accessibility improvements have been introduced for people with disabilities and parents with pushchairs. Additional landscaping and illuminated information boards have also been added, as well as new water attractions, including jet skis, inflatables and canoes. Chapkanov noted that greater involvement from local municipalities could further improve Bulgaria’s beach management, pointing to countries such as Greece and Spain, where local authorities play a leading role in beach conservation and development.
Blue Flag is a voluntary certification programme of the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), an international organization with members from over 80 countries. It has operated for nearly 40 years, annually evaluating and certifying beaches, marinas, and tourism vessels. Currently, around 5,200 sites worldwide participate in the programme, including Bulgarian beaches and marinas.
