Greek has increased its share of prestigious Blue Flag awards in 2014 with a total of 408 beaches and 10 marinas granted the sought after status.

Greece now ranks number two in the world for the number of quality beaches along its many island coastlines, picking up 15 more awards than last year’s 393 beaches and nine marinas.

Many major travel companies pick out the Blue Flag status of resorts when choosing destinations to offer their customers. The Blue Flag label has been an international symbol of quality since 1987 when flags were first awarded to holiday beaches and marinas that meet strict standards of cleanliness and safety.

Blue Flag awards are the gold standard in the tourism industry with more than 50 countries across the world bidding for flags issued by the Foundation for Environmental Education.