It may not be beach weather at the moment, but what better way to look forward to summer than with the news that Wales officially boasts some of the best bathing waters in Europe. 

Snorkelling at Abersoch

The Bathing Waters in Wales statistics for 2016 reveal that 84 out of 103 bathing areas have been classified as “excellent”. These include popular visitor destinations like Trecco Bay in Porthcawl, Gower’s Oxwich Bay, Abersoch in Gwynedd and Colwyn Bay, Conwy.
 
In total, 102 designated bathing waters in Wales achieved the European standard of sufficient or above, placing Wales among the best performing countries in Europe for water cleanliness.
 
Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs, Lesley Griffiths welcomed the figures. She said: “Wales has some of the most stunning coastline anywhere in the world. Our beaches and other bathing areas are a magnet for visitors from far and wide as well as being hugely popular with local communities.
 
“It is excellent news that so many of our waters have been recognised as being of such a high standard. These are located all around Wales, from urban areas in the south east to popular seaside tourist destinations in the west and north. With clean bathing waters, our coast and natural environment will continue to provide huge benefits to the people of Wales and to our visitors.”
  
Emyr Roberts, Chief Executive of Natural Resources Wales, said: “With the second year of the tough new EU standards, it is great news that 102 of the 103 bathing waters in Wales achieved the directive standard of sufficient. 94% of our beaches have achieved good or excellent status, making the quality of the waters at Welsh beaches among some of the best in Europe.”
 
Janet Redler, Chief Executive of Janet Redler Travel & Tourism, added: “It is good to hear that the bathing waters around the Welsh coast are of such a high quality and meet the stringent EU standards. In 2017 we look forward to welcoming many visitors to Wales on our tailor made inbound tours and this news just reinforces our view that the natural environment of Wales is second to none.”

If you would like Janet Redler Travel & Tourism to put together a tailor made tour of Wales for you, please do contact our friendly team.