The official flag of the Quality Coast Platinum award was hoisted today at the Marina of Horta by the Regional Secretary, Vítor Fraga, and by the Regional Secretary for the Sea, Science and Technology, Fausto Brito e Abreu. The government officials also received a certificate attesting the excellence and sustainability of the Azores Destination, the only one to be distinguished with the Platinum award.

"This award is an asset that we should be able to use in the construction of an even better future where the environmental component is safeguarded, as we have done so far, as well as in the development of the Azores as a truly sustainable tourist destination," said Vítor Fraga.

The Regional Secretary stated that "being distinguished with an award that was the only one to be given to a European region is an opportunity to promote the Region at an institutional level."

The Regional Secretary for Tourism invited all companies to "seize the potentialities of this award in the promotion of the Azores as a truly sustainable destination."

In turn, the Regional Secretary for the Sea, Science and Technology stressed that this award represents "a challenge since the assessment criteria of the Quality Coast programme concerns yearly improvements and the plans for future measures, which requires a continuous work."

Fausto Brito e Abreu emphasised that the award distinguishes the nine islands of the archipelago. In this context, the government official pointed out that "the Government is immensely pleased with the acknowledgement of the effort that has been carried out for over a decade in various areas, particularly in maritime policies and the tourism sector.

The Azores were the only region distinguished with the Quality Coast Platinum award and were ranked first among over a thousand destinations.

The Platinum classification was created this year by the international jury, following the high scores achieved by the Azores.

The nine islands achieved the same score. The areas under assessment were the following: marine life, nature, landscape, coastal area, surrounding areas, clean water, blue flags, culture, society, and hotels or similar accommodation units.

Developed by the Coastal and Marine Union (EUCC), the "Quality Coast" programme is primarily intended to promote sustainable quality tourist destinations as well as to provide tourists with the assurance of quality that is ever present in the evaluation criteria stipulated for all countries.