Ireland’s capital, Dublin and the Italian city of Grosseto have been chosen by the European Commission as the European Smart Tourism Capital and the European Green Smart Tourism Pioneer, respectively, for 2024.
The decision comes after taking into account their achievements in the fields of accessibility, sustainability, as well as digitalisation and cultural heritage, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
Dublin and Grosseto were chosen among a total of 40 destinations in 21 countries following a European jury meeting that was held on November 28.
Winning cities will benefit from custom sculpture and promotional support.
Together with the finalist cities, they will also join a network of smart and sustainable tourism destinations in Europe. This network facilitates the sharing of knowledge and good practices through workshops and a guide.”
The competition promotes smart tourism in the European Union countries, rewarding cities for innovative approaches to accessibility, as well as digitalization, sustainability and cultural heritage, among others.
The European Green Pioneer of Smart Tourism competition, the successor to the European Destinations of Excellence (EDEN) competition, recognises smaller destinations with successful strategies for sustainable tourism through green practices. The winning cities of both competitions serve as models for smart and sustainable travel.
The European Commission has introduced two competitions aimed at promoting smart and sustainable tourism within the bloc. Such competitions seek to further enhance networking and strengthen destinations, and also ease the exchange of best practices.
The European Capital of Smart Tourism takes into account achievements by European cities as tourism destinations in the following four categories: accessibility, sustainability, digitalization and cultural heritage and creativity.
At the same time, the European Green Pioneer of Smart Tourism, the successor of the European Destinations of Excellence (EDEN) competition, recognises smaller destinations that have successfully implemented strategies in order to boost sustainable tourism through the adoption of the green transition.
Smart Tourism is an initiative from the European Commission financed under the COSME Programme.
Smart tourism aims to make the tourism sector more innovative, using digital technologies, in order to provide tourists with more efficient, personalised, and enjoyable experiences while contributing to the sustainability and management of tourism destinations.
Authorities in European countries have intensified their efforts in order to help the quick recovery of the tourism sector that has been highly affected by the spread of the Coronavirus and its new variants.