World Most Beautiful Bays Association

The World Most Beautiful Bays Association (French: Club des plus belles baies du monde) is an international association and registered trademark founded in Vannes, France, in March 1997 by Bruno Bodard, Michel Met and Hervé Laigo, who were then respectively director, president and treasurer of the Vannes region tourist office in the Gulf of Morbihan. Its original aim was to promote tourism in the Gulf of Morbihan, starting with a twinning with Ha Long Bay in Vietnam, and it soon expanded into a global network of member bays. The association brings together coastal communities that possess a remarkable bay or gulf. According to its official website, it is an NGO committed to the United Nations for the protection of coasts and oceans, and it describes itself as a network of 45 member bays in 26 countries (the French Wikipedia article cites 43 bays in 26 countries in 2022, while Wikidata mentions 44 bays). Member bays include the Bay of Chaleur in Canada, the Gulf of Morbihan and Quiberon Bay in France, Yeosu Bay in South Korea, Agadir Bay in Morocco, Eilat Bay in Israel, Luanda Bay in Angola, Matsushima Bay in Japan, Somme Bay in France, Les Sables d'Olonne Bay in France, Suruga Bay in Japan, Mont Saint-Michel Bay in France, Toyama Bay in Japan, Dakhla Bay in Morocco, Horta Bay in Portugal, Kyoto Miyazu-Ine Bay in Japan, the Bodrum bays in Turkey, Tadoussac Bay in Canada, Praia do Rosa Bay in Brazil, Cambodia Bay, Mindelo Bay in Cape Verde, Qingdao Bay in China, the Gulfs of Porto and Girolata in France, La Ciotat Bay in France, La Baule Bay in France, Les Saintes Bay in Guadeloupe, Fort-de-France Bay in Martinique, Kujukushima Bay in Japan, Al Hoceima Bay in Morocco, and Puerto Vallarta Bay in Mexico. Membership is open to bays that meet criteria such as having protection measures, interesting fauna and flora, remarkable and attractive natural spaces, local and national recognition, emblematic status for the local population, and economic potential. The association's activities focus on sustainable development, education, exchange, sharing, tourism and culture. It organizes exchanges between representatives of member bays to discover each other's culture, biodiversity, sustainable development challenges, economy and social development through tourism in preserved or recovering locations. The association is a registered trademark, and its marketing of the flattering title "most beautiful bay in the world" has been noted as an incentive for regions to join, sometimes favoring mass tourism investments over sustainable tourism. The organization remains active, with its headquarters in Vannes, France, and an official website at world-bays.com.

The World Most Beautiful Bays Association was founded in Vannes, France, in March 1997 by Bruno Bodard, Michel Met and Hervé Laigo, who were respectively director, president and treasurer of the Vannes region tourist office in the Gulf of Morbihan. The co-founders, who registered the association as a trademark, initially wanted to promote tourism in the Gulf of Morbihan and undertook a twinning with Ha Long Bay in Vietnam. The tourist office then proposed "to include other bays in the initiative in order to create a real network." The association was created in Berlin on 10 March 1997, according to the French Wikipedia article. It brought together bays that met criteria such as having protection measures, interesting fauna and flora, remarkable and attractive natural spaces, local and national recognition, emblematic status for the local population, and economic potential. Over the years, the network expanded globally. By 2022, it grouped 43 bays in 26 countries, each representing a coastal community with a remarkable bay or gulf. The official website states that it is an NGO committed to the United Nations for the protection of coasts and oceans, and that it has 45 member bays in 26 countries. Wikidata mentions 44 bays around the world. Some bays that participated in the constitutive assembly are no longer listed as members, including Georgia Bay (Vancouver, Canada), Antalya Bay (Kemer, Turkey), Saldagne Bay (South Africa), Venice Lagoon (Venice, Italy), Taytay Bay (Palawan, Philippines), Inverness Bay (Scotland), Oro Bay (Isle of Pines, New Caledonia), Paria Bay (Irapa, Venezuela), Finland Bay (Saint Petersburg, Russia), Corcovado Bay (Puerto Montt, Chile), Cape Cod (Hyannis, United States), and Santorini Caldera (Greece). The association has been noted for the marketing effect of the flattering title "most beautiful bay in the world," which can encourage regions to join, sometimes favoring mass tourism investments over sustainable tourism. A book by Bruno Bodard, "Les fabuleuses histoires des plus belles baies du monde," was published by Donjon éditions in 2019.

• 2022

  Association grouped 43 bays in 26 countries.

• 2019

  Book "Les fabuleuses histoires des plus belles baies du monde" by Bruno Bodard published.

• 1997

  Association founded in Vannes, France, in March by Bruno Bodard, Michel Met and Hervé Laigo.

• 1997

  Registered as a trademark in Berlin on 10 March.

An international NGO and trademark that promotes sustainable tourism and coastal protection through a network of the world's most beautiful bays.

Product categories. Membership network for bays · Sustainable tourism promotion · Coastal and ocean protection advocacy

1. 1Les Plus Belles Baies du Mondeworld-bays.com
2. 2World Most Beautiful Bays Association - Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3Club des plus belles baies du monde - Wikipédiafr.wikipedia.org