With a reputation for having some of the cleanest coasts in Europe and beyond – including Blue Flag awarded beaches – efforts are continuous when it comes to keeping Cyprus’ sands and seawaters pristine, including regular beach and sea cleaning campaigns in cooperation with various organisations and bodies.

The most recent campaign took place in November at Mckenzie beach, Larnaka Marina and Psarolimano (where the small harbour is located) and collected a whopping 1.5 tonnes of assorted waste following the Covid-19 lockdown that had delayed regular maintenance.

Organised by the Cyprus Sustainable Tourism Initiative (CSTI), in cooperation with Larnaka Tourism Board and with the support of Larnaka Municipality and the Deputy Ministry of Tourism, the event took place under the ‘Combat Plastic Pollution of the Mediterranean Sea’ campaign which is held within the framework of the BeMed ‘Plastic Free Entertainment Cruises and Water Sports Activities’ programme – a joint initiative between the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, the Tara Ocean Foundation, Surfrider Foundation Europe, and the Mava Foundation.

The sands and seas were tirelessly combed for three hours by 60 volunteers. Well done to everyone involved for their hard work, which has greatly contributed to maintaining Larnaka  Region beaches in tip-top condition both for users and for the benefit of the environment. Special thanks to the diving centres and watersports operators that participated: Viking Divers, Zenobia Divers, Podvodnyi Mir, Dive-In Larnaca, Ippokambos, Aquadream Scuba Academy, A.A.K. Larnaca Napa Sea Cruises, Atlantis Cruises, Windsurf City Cyprus, Mackenzie Beach Water Sports and K & L Finikoudes Watersports.