Sea water at Geroskipou’s Blue Flag beaches has been classified as being of excellent quality, the municipality announced on Thursday.

The announcement followed laboratory testing carried out by the Cyprus Marine Environment Protection Association (CYMEPA).

The municipality said CYMEPA conducted laboratory analyses of sea water at Geroskipou’s three Blue Flag beaches, namely the Municipal Beach, the former Cyprus Tourism Organisation municipal beach and Pachyammos 2 beach, located in front of the Ledra hotel.

According to the municipality, all sea water samples analysed were classified as waters of “excellent quality”, confirming the high environmental standards maintained at the area’s award-winning beaches.

The announcement reinforces Cyprus’ wider performance in bathing water quality, with the island continuing to rank among Europe’s leading destinations for clean and safe bathing waters.

Last month, 56 beaches and two marinas were awarded the Blue Flag for 2026, recognising compliance with strict international standards on environmental management, water quality, safety, services and accessibility.

Speaking at the Blue Flag awards ceremony, agriculture minister Maria Panayiotou said Cyprus’ beaches form “part of the island’s collective memory” and that “behind the beauty of the coastline lies the consistently high quality of its bathing waters”.

“Cyprus has ranked first in Europe for bathing water quality in the European Commission’s last three evaluations,” Panayiotou said.

“This distinction does not belong to a single organisation or service, but is the result of cooperation among various authorities and the steadfast commitment to protecting the environment and public health,” she added.

Panayiotou also expressed confidence that Cyprus would continue to rank among Europe’s leading countries for bathing water quality.

“The Blue Flag is one of the most recognisable international quality symbols for beaches and marinas, and is awarded only to those that meet the strict environmental and operational criteria,” Panayiotou said.

She explained that the award goes beyond recognising clean and well-managed beaches, as it also reflects broader environmental standards covering management, safety, organisation and the responsible operation of coastal areas, while promoting environmental protection, visitor information and public awareness.

The Blue Flag programme is based on excellent bathing water quality together with compliance with 33 criteria for beaches and 38 criteria for marinas, in line with European standards.

Cyprus was one of only four European Union countries where more than 95 per cent of bathing waters achieved an excellent classification, with the island recording 100 per cent, alongside Austria, Bulgaria and Greece.