Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - The Banderas Bay region's natural attributes help it stand out as one of the best vacation destinations in the world, as was recently proven when Palmares Beach on Puerto Vallarta's Southern shores was awarded Blue Flag certification by the Foundation for Environmental Education's (FEE) international jury of environmentalists.

The International Blue Flag Jury is composed of representatives from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), International Lifesaving Federation (ILS), the European Environment Agency (EEA), the European Union for Coastal Conservation (EUCC), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), an Environmental Education expert, the International Council of Marine Industry Associations (ICOMIA) and FEE.

The Blue Flag is a voluntary eco-label awarded to more than 4000 beaches and marinas in 48 countries across Europe, South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia, New Zealand, Brazil, North America and the Caribbean.

The Blue Flag works towards sustainable development of beaches and marinas through strict criteria dealing with Water Quality, Environmental Education and Information, Environmental Management, and Safety & Other Services. Beaches are awarded the Blue Flag based on compliance with 32 attributes within these four primary categories.

Certification lasts for a year, after which judges must re-visit each location to ensure that the criteria is met.

Only 11 beaches in all of Mexico have received the Blue Flag. In the Banderas Bay area, two beaches have received the award: Nuevo Vallarta Beach was certified for June 2013-June 2014, and now Palmares Beach, just south of Puerto Vallarta, is Blue Flag certified through July 2015.

After receiving the Blue Flag for Palmares Beach, Puerto Vallarta Mayor, Ramón Guerrero Martínez, announced two additional beaches, Playa Holi and Mismaloya, are being readied for certification. "We hope to become the Mexican municipality with most certified beaches," he commented in a recent public address.