Outstanding achievements in tourism sector
Smart tourism responds to new challenges and demands in a fast-changing sector, including the evolution of digital tools, products and services; equal opportunity and access for all visitors; sustainable development of the local area; and support to creative industries, local talent and heritage.
Winners of the 2022 European Capitals of Smart Tourism Competition
Bordeaux (France) and Valencia (Spain) have been selected as the winners of the EU’s 2022 European Capital of Smart Tourism competition, following a European Jury meeting in Brussels on 26 October. The two winners will receive their official award at the Award Ceremony during the European Tourism Forum gala dinner on 16 November, an event organised by the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU together with the European Commission.
Shortlisted cities in the 2022 competition
The following cities are among the shortlisted finalists competing for the European Capital of Smart Tourism 2022 title. They are invited to present their candidatures in front of the European Jury in the coming weeks.
Winners of the 2020 European Capitals of Smart Tourism Competition
Málaga (Spain) and Gothenburg (Sweden) were jointly awarded the title of European Capitals of Smart Tourism for 2020 – an award that recognizes outstanding achievements in smart tourism planning.
2020 Winners in four award categories
Four cities were also recognised with 2020 European Smart Tourism Awards for their outstanding achievements in the initiative's four categories. These cities received the highest individual category scores of all 35 applicant cities, during a pre-selection phase carried out by an independent panel of experts.
Gothenburg, Sweden
Category winner: SUSTAINABILITY
Breda, Netherlands
Category winner: ACCESSIBILITY
Ljubljana, Slovenia
Category winner: DIGITALISATION
Karlsruhe, Germany
Category winner: CULTURAL HERITAGE & CREATIVITY
Shortlisted cities in the 2020 competition
The following cities were also among the shortlisted finalists competing for the European Capital of Smart Tourism 2020 title. They were invited to present their candidatures in front of the European Jury on 8 October 2019.
Winners of the 2019 European Capitals of Smart Tourism Competition
Helsinki (Finland) and Lyon (France) were jointly awarded the title of European Capitals of Smart Tourism for 2019 – an award that recognizes outstanding achievements in smart tourism planning.
2019 Winners in four award categories
Four cities were also recognised with 2019 European Smart Tourism Awards for their outstanding achievements in the initiative's four categories. These cities received the highest individual category scores of all 38 applicant cities, during a pre-selection phase carried out by an independent panel of experts.
Shortlisted cities in the 2019 competition
The following cities were also among the shortlisted finalists competing for the European Capital of Smart Tourism 2019 title. They were invited to present their candidatures in front of the European Jury on the occasion of European Tourism Day in Brussels on 7 November 2018.
Smart tourism responds to new challenges in a fast-changing sector
Apart from showcasing exemplary practices by cities as tourism destinations in: Accessibility, Sustainability, Digitalisation, Cultural Heritage and Creativity, the European Capital of Smart Tourism initiative aims to establish a framework for the exchange of best practices between cities and creates opportunities for cooperation and new partnerships.
Promote the rich tourism offer of European countries and increase citizens’ sentiment of sharing local tourism-related values.
Strengthen tourism-generated and innovative tourism development in the cities, their surroundings and their neighbour regions.
Increase the attractiveness of European cities that are awarded the title and strengthen economic growth and job creation.
Establish framework for the exchange of best practices between the cities and create opportunities for cooperation and new partnerships.
Inform the travellers of the sustainable and outstanding tourism practices in destinations they are visiting.
Encourage sustainable socio-economic development in tourism destinations across Europe.
The four award categories of the competition making tourism smart
For the purpose of the European Capital of Smart Tourism competition, the cities were invited to describe and share their innovative projects, ideas and initiatives implemented under each of the four award categories (Accessibility, Digitalisation, Sustainability, Cultural Heritage & Creativity) which helped them to improve their profile as a tourism destination.
Accessibility includes services that are multilingual and digitally available to all travellers and visitors, regardless of their age, cultural background or their physical disability.
Being sustainable does not only mean to manage and protect your natural resources as a city, but to reduce seasonality impacts on the environment and to involve the local community.
A digital city uses digital technologies to enhance all aspects of the tourism experience, enabling simpler access to services, as well as to help local businesses to grow.
Protect and capitalise on the local heritage as well as cultural and its creative assets for the benefit of the tourism destination, the industry and the visiting tourists in general.