ENCAMS is proud of its involvement in awarding beaches for achieving high standards of beach management and there have been great improvements in recent years, which are a credit to the hard work of beach managers. However, the increasing importance of our coastline brings higher visitor expectations and greater scrutiny on the quality of tourist destinations.

ENCAMS has taken the opportunity to build on current success and develop an exciting new type of award in England, the Quality Coast Award. The purpose of the Quality Coast Award is to recognise different parts of the coastline that are well managed to suit the needs of different users. This award aims to reflect the hugely diverse nature of our coastline, the qualities of our beaches, and is open to all beaches irrespective of whether their water quality is monitored. It requires the combination of a sound management system and targeted communication to specific user groups to ensure they experience quality visits to the coast.

If you are a Beach Operator and are interested in learning more about this new award, please contact qca-enquiries@encams.org

If you are a member of the public and would like to find out which beaches in England have a Quality Coast Award please visit www.qualitycoast.org