European Commission launches the European Capital and Green Pioneer of Smart Tourism 2024 competitions

The two competitions were launched simultaneously on 5 May 2023.

Posted on: 25 May 2023

Share

On behalf of the European Commission, DG GROW, we are pleased to inform you about the launch of two competitions open to cities in the EU Member States, and non-EU countries participating in the current Single Market Programme: the European Capital and European Green Pioneer of Smart Tourism 2024 competitions.

1. European Capital of Smart Tourism

The European Capital of Smart Tourism is an established EU initiative which recognises outstanding achievements by European cities as tourism destinations in four categories: sustainability, accessibility, digitalisation as well as cultural heritage and creativity. It aims to promote smart tourism in the EU, network and strengthen destinations, and facilitate the exchange of best practices. The European Commission is implementing the European Capital of Smart Tourism initiative since 2019. Currently it is financed under the SME Pillar of the Single Market Programme (SMP) and is a successor of the Preparatory Action proposed by the European Parliament. The competition is open to cities across both the EU, as well as the non-EU countries that take part in the Single Market programme, with a population of over 100,000.

2. European Green Pioneer of Smart Tourism

The European Green Pioneer of Smart Tourism is the successor of the European Destinations of Excellence (EDEN) initiative and rewards the best achievements in sustainable tourism and green transition practices in smaller destinations. The competition is founded upon the principle of promoting the development of sustainable tourism in destinations which brings value to the economy, the planet and the people. The competition is open to destinations across both the EU, as well as the non-EU countries that take part in the Single Market programme (See list), with a population between 25,000 – 100,000.

3. Online workshops to guide cities/destinations interested in both competitions

At this occasion, we cordially invite cities to attend two online workshops guiding applicants through the process of writing a successful application for the European Capital and Green Pioneer of Smart Tourism 2024 competitions.

  1. European Capital of Smart Tourism: Applicant workshop on 1 JuneThe online workshop will take place on 1 June 2023, at 14:00 – 15:00 CET.To attend the workshop please register here.
  2. European Green Pioneer of Smart Tourism: Applicant workshop on 5 JuneThe online workshop will take place on 5 June 2023, at 14:00 – 15:00 CET. To attend the workshop please register here.

Find here more information about “How to nail your application in 7 steps”, or listen to the dedicated EU Smart Tourism podcast episode.

To compete for the European Capital or Green Pioneer of Smart Tourism 2024 title, apply online by 5 July 2023, at 17:00 CET. We invite you to read more about the initiative and find out how to apply on: https://smarttourismcapital.eu/.

Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact the initiative secretariat: info@smarttourismcapital.eu.

 

Leave a Reply

Related Articles

Be.CULTOUR webinar: Community-led and innovative entrepreneurship for circular cultural tourism
The Be.CULTOUR project, focused on enhancing cultural heritage and landscape values for sustainable cultural tourism, is launching a new series of webinars to boost peer learning among its Community of Interest and other followers. Given that Be.CULTOUR and INCULTUM established a cooperation agreement for cross-dissemination and knowledge exchange, the webinar series is promoted also via the INCULTUM channels and and in the INCULTUM network. Various experts and on-field stakeholders are...
rurAllure and INCULTUM establish collaboration
INCULTUM and rurAllure projects recently established a collaboration agreement due to common themes, aims and actions. While rurAllure is more specifically focused on historical pilgrimage routes and INCULTUM expands to other types of lesser-known tourism, the promotion of cultural heritage in rural areas is a common thematic framework of both projects, This sets the basis for big opportunities for collaboration, synergies and cross-dissemination actions in the two projects. The principal...
Be.CULTOUR webinar: Values-based innovative marketing for less-known cultural tourism destinations
The Be.CULTOUR project, focused on enhancing cultural heritage and landscape values for sustainable cultural tourism, is launching a new series of webinars to boost peer learning among its Community of Interest and other followers. Various experts and on-field stakeholders will be invited to present and discuss their innovative ideas, their progress and their challenges concerning cultural tourism and beyond. The main purpose is to learn from peers and acknowledge the best practices from t...
RURALIZATION Final Conference
RURALIZATION is a EU-funded project aiming at developing forward-looking policies fulfilling the ‘future dreams’ of new rural generations and foster sustainable development of rural and marginal areas. In this light, RURALIZATION and INCULTUM established a cooperation agreement for cross-dissemination and knowledge exchange. The RURALIZATION project has identified a series of ‘innovation stories’ to better understand the problems associated with rural living, the importance of sustainable and in...