Skip to main content
European Union flag
EU Tourism Platform

2026 European Smart Tourism Competitions: Application steps and key dates

News

01 April 2025

2026 European Smart Tourism Competitions: Application steps and key dates

Coastal, maritime and inland water tourism

Cultural tourism

Ecotourism

+30 more

Login / create an account to be able to react

An illustrative photo of a view of a city with a domed building.

The Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport has released guidelines for cities to apply for the 2026 competitions for the European Capital and Green Pioneer of Smart Tourism.

Publishing org

Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport

Topics
Geographical descriptors

Albania

Armenia

Austria

Belgium

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bulgaria

Croatia

Cyprus

Czechia

Denmark

Estonia

EU-27

Finland

France

Georgia

Germany

Greece

Hungary

Iceland

Ireland

Italy

Kosovo

Latvia

Liechtenstein

Lithuania

Luxembourg

Malta

Moldova

Montenegro

Netherlands

North Macedonia

Norway

Poland

Portugal

Romania

Serbia

Slovakia

Slovenia

Spain

Sweden

Switzerland

Türkiye

Ukraine

Organisation Type

Local authorities

  • Specific types of tourism

    • Coastal, maritime and inland water tourism

    • Cultural tourism

    • Ecotourism

    • Urban/city tourism

  • Transition Pathway Strategic Areas

    • Best practices, peer learning and networking

    • Changes in tourism demand and opportunities

    • Governance of tourism destinations

  • Business activities

    • Activities of amusement parks and theme parks

    • Activities of associations and other organisations supporting tourism

    • Air passenger transport

    • Camping grounds, recreational vehicle parks and trailer parks

    • Events catering and other food services

    • Festivals, cultural and entertainment activities

    • Gardens and nature reserves activities

    • Holiday Housing / Apartments and other short stay accommodation

    • Hotel and similar accommodation

    • Mobile beverage services

    • Mobile food services

    • Museums

    • Operation of historical sites

    • Other

    • Other accommodation

    • Other amusement and recreation activities

    • Other food and beverage services

    • Other holiday reservation services

    • Other tourism transportation activities

    • Rail Passenger transport

    • Recreational and sport activities

    • Restaurants, cafes and bars (Food and Beverage serving activities)

    • Road passenger transport

    • Tour operator activities

    • Travel agency activities

    • Water (sea, coastal and inland) passenger transport

Share

The Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport has outlined essential steps for applying to the 2026 European Smart Tourism Competition, which aims to honour cities excelling in smart and sustainable tourism practices. Key recommendations include early preparation, articulating your tourism narrative, engaging various stakeholders in collaborative efforts, and more. 

For comprehensive details, please refer to the link provided on the left-hand side of the platform and submit your application by 30 May 2025.

#Destination management #Sustainable destinations #Innovation in tourism #Sustainable tourism

No votes yet

Comments (0)

Related content

See also

-
Comment
0
  • News
  • 02 Dec 2024

Sign-up for the Sustainable EU Tourism Twinning Workshop

The Sustainable EU Tourism project has entered its next phase, the “DMO Twinning Journey”. Its aim is to bring together DMOs with similar challenges and...
Categories
Coastal, maritime and inland water tourism Cultural tourism Ecotourism +64 more
-
Comment
0
  • News
  • 04 Mar 2025

Explore smart tourism practices!

Discover how cities are leading the way in smart tourism with DG MOVE's 2025 best practices report.
Categories
Coastal, maritime and inland water tourism Cultural tourism Ecotourism +40 more
-
Comment
0
  • News
  • 17 Oct 2024

Jump into the conversation with the community!

Join the conversation on the discussion forum! This month we're focusing on: Addressing changing holiday patterns due to climate change Raising awareness of changes in...
Categories
Coastal, maritime and inland water tourism Cultural tourism Ecotourism +64 more