Sanxenxo Marinas Win Blue Flags

Galicia raised Blue Flags at 11 marinas for the 2026 season on May 19, extending a regional awards run that also included three ports in Sanxenxo, according to local reporting and tourism bodies. The Sanxenxo recipients were Real Club Náutico de Sanxenxo, Club Náutico Portonovo and Porto Deportivo Juan Carlos I. The awards are part of the Blue Flag program run in Spain by the Asociación de Educación Ambiental y del Consumidor, or ADEAC, which evaluates beaches and marinas on environmental, safety, accessibility and service criteria. ### Which Sanxenxo marinas received the 2026 Blue Flag? Sanxenxo kept Blue Flags at three marina facilities in 2026: Real Club Náutico de Sanxenxo, Club Náutico Portonovo and Porto Deportivo Juan Carlos I. Local reports on Galicia’s 2026 Blue Flag distribution listed all three among the region’s recognized ports. Porto Deportivo Juan Carlos I is one of the municipality’s best-known nautical sites and has more than 400 berths, according to local tourism information. (farodevigo.es) Real Club Náutico de Sanxenxo is based in the same municipality and promotes sailing and other nautical sports, according to the club’s website. ### How many marina Blue Flags did Galicia receive this year? (farodevigo.es) Galicia received 11 Blue Flags for ports in 2026, Faro de Vigo reported on May 19. The same reporting said the awards covered ports across the region as ADEAC’s annual designations were raised for the summer season. Galicia also received 118 Blue Flags for beaches in 2026, up from 108 in 2025, according to regional tourism and local media reports. (osalnes.com) Sanxenxo was listed as the Spanish municipality with the highest total number of Blue Flags, with 21 distinctions when beaches and ports were counted together. (farodevigo.es) ### What does a Blue Flag certify for a marina? ADEAC said on May 5 that Spain received 111 Blue Flags for marinas in 2026 as part of a wider total of 794 awards nationwide, including beaches and tourist boats. The group said the program’s marina and beach designations are based on criteria tied to environmental management, safety, services, accessibility and information. (clusterturismogalicia.com) The international Blue Flag organization describes the award as a voluntary label for beaches, marinas and sustainable tourism boats that must meet and maintain environmental, educational, safety and accessibility standards. Those conditions are reviewed annually. ### Why does Sanxenxo appear so often in Galicia’s Blue Flag counts? Sanxenxo was identified by multiple Galicia publications in early May as Spain’s leading municipality for Blue Flags in 2026. (banderaazul.org) The municipality’s count included 18 beach awards and three marina awards, with Pampaído added among the beaches this year, local newspapers reported. (blueflag.global) Tourism materials from Sanxenxo describe the municipality as a year-round nautical destination with a calendar of regattas and marine activities. Porto Deportivo Juan Carlos I is presented by local tourism sources as a base for sailing courses and competition boats in the Ría de Pontevedra. ### Where can readers verify the 2026 awards? ADEAC published its 2026 Blue Flag press material on May 5, including Spain’s national totals for beaches, marinas and tourist boats. (diariodepontevedra.es) Local confirmation of Galicia’s 11 awarded ports, including the three in Sanxenxo, appeared in Faro de Vigo on May 19 and in other Galicia regional coverage earlier in May. (turismodesanxenxo.com) The 2026 summer season is the next test for the awarded marinas because Blue Flag criteria must be maintained after the flags are raised. Readers can track the recognized sites through ADEAC’s published materials and Galicia and Sanxenxo tourism pages covering the municipality’s nautical facilities. (banderaazul.org)