Coral Bay has officially been designated a plastic-free beach, becoming the ninth beach in Cyprus and the first within the boundaries of the Akamas municipality to receive the designation.
A small certificaton ceremony was held on the beach, attended by representatives of international tour operator Tui, including the Tui Care Foundation’s board of directors’ chairman Thomas Ellerbeck.
He highlighted the prevalence of plastic-free beaches in Cyprus, and said that through such initiatives, the island “is leading the efforts for a more sustainable model of tourism in the Mediterranean, proving that tourism can be a positive force for the environment”.
Meanwhile, Akamas mayor Marinos Lambrou described the beach’s certification as an “important moment for our region”, and added, “we are putting into practice our commitment to a cleaner and more sustainable environment, protecting our coasts, and inspiring future generations to follow a more responsible lifestyle”.
In addition to becoming plastic free, the beach has now been fitted with a water cooler offering free chilled and filtered water, a smoking area, a plastic toy collection point, new information signs, and other infrastructure which the municipality says will “encouage and facilitate visitors to avoid the unneccesary use of single-use plastic”.
