The beaches of the province of Málaga have received 72 awards for their quality and sustainability.

The Institute for Spanish Tourism Quality and Sustainability (ICTES) celebrated this Monday the first delivery in Andalusia of the Q quality and S sustainability tourism certifications, recognizing a total of 72 beaches and 2 ports in the province of Málaga for their excellence. Marbella is the municipality that has accumulated the most flags, with 19 beaches awarded both distinctions.

The event took place in the Nexus building in Marbella, formerly Andalucía Lab, and was attended by the acting Regional Minister of Tourism and External Affairs of Andalusia, Arturo Bernal, the president of ICTES, Miguel Mirones, and the mayor of Marbella, Ángeles Muñoz, as well as representatives from the awarded municipalities of Andalusia.

During his speech, the minister highlighted that Andalusia is the autonomous community with the “most certifications of quality and sustainability in tourism in all of Spain,” a fact he attributed to the “leadership” of the region, based on a “planning strategy.” Thus, he expressed his conviction that “the future of tourism lies in offering more value, not more volume.”

Certified Beaches

At the Andalusian level, today's event saw the delivery of a total of 247 flags to the community's beaches for their excellence, of which 144 entities were distinguished with the Q and 103 with the S, as well as 4 marinas obtaining the certification.

In this edition, the province of Málaga adds a total of 72 certifications out of the total in the autonomous community of Andalusia, of which 40 beaches have obtained the Q for tourism quality and 32 the S for sustainability, in addition to two marinas awarded the first badge.

Specifically, Marbella leads in the number of certifications, with 19 beaches distinguished with both distinctions and one port, followed by Mijas and Torremolinos with 9, Málaga and Benajarafe with 7, Fuengirola with 4 beaches with both certificates and a marina, Torrox with 5, Rincón de la Victoria with 3 distinctions, Casares with 2, and Algarrobo with 2.

“These figures reflect a reality, and that is that Andalusia leads because it has decided to strive for excellence,” emphasized the minister, noting that this translates into “more accessible beaches, safer services, better-preserved spaces, more efficient management of resources, and better coexistence between residents and visitors.”

On the other hand, the tourism official referred to the importance of “social sustainability”, stressing that those destinations that “generate economy and prosperity in a sustainable manner” are those that know how to “listen to the citizens.”

Bernal pointed out that tourism is the activity that generates “the most value and the most impact” across destinations, stating that the industry closed 2025 in Andalusia surpassing “32 billion euros in revenue” and for the first time “exceeded 500,000 workers registered with Social Security.”

The minister emphasized that behind each recognition “there is planning, investment, professionalism, and commitment”, while he insisted that success is based on “the number of visitors, the quality of the tourist experience, employment, and the conservation” of natural resources.

ICTES Demands Certification for Destinations

For his part, Mirones highlighted that ICTES will demand certification of destinations that proclaim themselves under the umbrella of sustainability, asserting that there is “considerable fraud” which constitutes “unfair competition” against those who dedicate investment and teams to achieving the distinctions. In this context, he emphasized that “no one can claim to be green, ecological, and sustainable without having been certified.”

“Behind each certificate there is work, investment, and a team of people working throughout the year to ensure the beaches are ready,” he recalled, also stressing the importance of the management model developed in recent years in Andalusia of “cogovernance” in the public and private sectors.

The mayor of Marbella thanked ICTES for choosing the city to host the flag ceremony, noting that the city's beaches have earned 19 Q certifications for quality and 19 S certifications for tourism sustainability. “It is the result of constant work to care for the coastline, protect the environment, and offer services of the highest quality,” she remarked.