Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - Playa Camarones received Blue Flag certification and Palmares Beach received a re-certification of this award during the XI National Clean Beaches Meeting held in Cancun on June 21st, thanks to the municipal government's efforts to make Puerto Vallarta the best tourist destination on the Mexican Pacific.

The director of Municipal Tourism, Oscar Perez and the director of Environment and Ecology, Juan José Navarro Amaral, were in charge of receiving these awards from the hands of the National Water Commission, CONAGUA, and the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources.

After two and a half years of work and efforts to cover the 33 criteria required to be accredited the award, such as water quality, accessibility, security, cleaning the beach, environmental education programs, presence of lifeguards, respect for the ecosystem, among others, Playa Camarones is now part of the select group of twelve beaches with national certification.

Oscar Perez said that certifications are a great achievement for Puerto Vallarta, which is already one of the most attractive destinations for domestic and foreign tourism because of its beautiful coastline and responsible use of the ecosystem.

He added that Palmares Beach, which was severely affected by the flood last August, has been re-certified, and recovery is well underway, thanks to the cleanup efforts carried out by the municipal authorities. The flag will be hoisted on the beaches on July 13, once the flag gets the season's new look, which is changed every year.

For his part, Juan José Navarro, head of the Environment and Ecology Department, mentioned the importance of Blue Flag certification, along with tourism promotion, it represents the conservation of the environment, caring for the flora and fauna, and the conservation of coastal ecosystems.

"To maintain these certifications we must depend on society; this is a joint effort, the efforts of the municipal authorities are useless if people do not make a commitment to the ecosystem, leaving no waste and respecting the environment," stressed the city official.

The work done on Vallarta's beaches involved personnel from various municipal offices and tourism developers, hoteliers, retailers and civil organizations.

Playa Camarones and Palmares beach join the select group of certified Blue Flag beaches of international quality in Mexico, including Playa El Palmar in Guerrero; North Nuevo Vallarta Beach in Nayarit; Las Perlas, Chac mool and Delfines in Quintana Roo; Chileno, Baja California Sur; and Icacos, Guerrero and Chahue in Oaxaca.