Los Cabos Voted As Having The Best Beaches In North America

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Last Updated 2 years ago

It has been revealed that for the third year running, Los Cabos has been voted as having the best beaches on the North American continent.

The beaches were top of the list based on factors such as the environment, cleanliness, safety, water quality, and social responsibility. Los Cabos came out on top for the third consecutive year, beating out the United States and Canada with its beautiful and clean beaches. 

The coordinator of ZOFEMAT (Los Cabos’ Federal Maritime Terrestrial Zone), Miguel Flores Valenzuela, announced the result, saying that “Los Cabos’ council is responsible for over 150 kilometers of beautiful coastline, and is tasked with caring for the environment there, as well as the safety and available services. 

Valenzuela also commented that seventeen out of a total of twenty-two beaches in Los Cabos now have a blue flag award. These beaches are also cared for by ZOFEMAT and represent 72% of beaches in the entire municipality. 

The blue flag award indicates that visitors are guaranteed access to clean and safe beaches. These beaches are audited every six months using more than thirty criteria to assess them based on four categories: Environmental Education, Water Quality, Environmental Management, and Security. 

On top of this, at least five of the beaches have also been certified by the PASSE program as having excellent health and safety standards. 

In order to maintain such high standards, the ZOFEMAT teams work from around 6 am every day in order to intensively clean the beaches, including eliminating micro-waste. On average, 30 tonnes of solid waste are collected from the beaches each month and transferred to landfill. 

In terms of safety, visitors can find both lifeguards and information services active and open from 10 am – 5 pm each day, helping over 114,000 people each month. 

For their environmental contribution, Flores Valenzuela explained that across Los Cabos, they have implemented an ‘Environmental Education’ program in order to develop activities that care for the maritime environment and also raise awareness. Currently, there are around seventeen sustainable projects and objectives ongoing in the area. 

The award is great news for the region, despite recent problems with littering on beaches. High amounts of waste are a negative impact caused by significantly increased tourist numbers in Los Cabos, which the authorities are cracking down on. 

The impact of this is multifaceted in Los Cabos, firstly due to potentially making beaches unclean, prompting tourists not to visit. However, this has been avoided by beach cleaners working 10-hour shifts to keep things spotless.

On top of this, cigarette butts are the product seen most often on beaches, which can negatively affect wildlife, such as native turtles in the area. This has led to authorities considering a ban on smoking on public beaches.

Keeping the beaches clean from little is only half of the issue during certain months of the year. During hurricane season, such as throughout September, storms can cause significant damage and leave debris strewn across beaches which also requires cleaning. 

Despite this, Los Cabos is consistently popular for not only its beaches but culture and attractions, making a name for itself as this year’s go-to luxury holiday destination.

Just last week, a whole host of celebrities visited the area, including Matthew McConaughey, Woody Harrelson, Chris Rock, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The region is a favorite with celebrities not only due to its many beaches but the extensive range of luxury hotels and properties. 

Even for the average traveler, Los Cabos is quickly being seen as a unique and ‘special occasion’ destination, with average nightly hotel rates of over $400 expected from October throughout the area’s high season.