The 2020 European Capitals of Smart Tourism Gothenburg and Málaga will be taking part in this year’s virtual ITB Berlin NOW, the world’s leading travel trade show. On 9 – 12 March 2021, participants of the ITB will have the opportunity to hear more about the European Capital of Smart Tourism initiative, learn what made Gothenburg and Málaga stand out to become 2020 European Capitals of Smart Tourism and what are their strategies for the recovery of tourism from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Join our virtual live presentation “European Capitals of Smart Tourism – The Road to Recovery”, taking place on 11 March at 17:00 – 17:30. Redeem the voucher ITBNOW-T9FH6H93CPF67FHF here: www.itb.com/ITBBerlinNOW/Tickets/ and follow the event here: https://bit.ly/3re1fgx
The European Capital of Smart Tourism is an EU initiative, which recognises outstanding achievements by European cities as tourism destinations in four award categories: sustainability, accessibility, digitalisation, as well as cultural heritage and creativity. The initiative promotes the development of smart tourism in European cities, aims to strengthen destinations and facilitates the exchange of best practices. The initiative is managed by the European Commission, the Directorate General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, and results from a preparatory action proposed by the European Parliament.
Gothenburg
The city is leading the way in digital solutions to improve experiences for both citizens and tourists. This includes using tech and open data to facilitate traffic, transport and to reduce the city’s carbon footprint. 95% of the city’s hotels are green certified and 97% of its public transport runs on renewable energy. Gothenburg has been at the top of the Global Destinations Sustainability Index since 2016. In 2020, the city launched a new website: www.101sustainableideas.com aimed at gathering innovative and sustainable ideas to improve the tourism experience in cities around the world.
The recovery of Gothenburg’s tourism industry from the COVID-19 pandemic is built up through education and financial support. Local support in Gothenburg includes the new project ‘Restart: Innovation in crisis-stricken SMEs in the hospitality industry’ aimed at small and medium sized businesses, offering them courses, lectures and workshops to help generate their own tailored analysis and action plans. The emphasis on education has been a cornerstone for Gothenburg’s support for businesses with the hosting of an eight-week web education seminar in 2020 geared towards educating the hospitality industry in topics as ranging from sustainability to marketing, business and personal development.
Málaga
Málaga stands out as one of the world’s most diverse tourism destinations, with a wide portfolio of tourism resources that can match any travel motivation, including: culture, sun, the beach, gastronomy, nature, sport and MICE. Through the Málaga SMART project, the city is demonstrating its commitment to the digital transformation of all aspects of city life – from an app to check how crowded local beaches are, to the implementation of energy management systems in all public buildings. Within just two decades, the city has gone from having 4 museums to 37, including the Centre Pompidou Málaga, the Automobile & Fashion Museum and the Russian Museum Collection — Saint Petersburg.
Aiming to support the recovery of tourism from the pandemic, the Málaga City Council launched on 13 November 2020 the COVID-19 early detection programme ‘Málaga Safe for You’. Its main objective is to reinforce Málaga as a safe destination and to guarantee spaces of trust in the tourism, culture and commerce industries thanks to rapid COVID-19 antigen testing. The companies that participate in this campaign are given a badge to be displayed on a prominent and visible place in the establishment.
Find out more about the 2020 European Capitals of Smart Tourism here:
- Gothenburg: https://smarttourismcapital.eu/city/gothenburg/
- Málaga: https://smarttourismcapital.eu/city/malaga-2020/
A selection of the most innovative projects, ideas and initiatives, submitted by cities competing for the 2019 and 2020 European Capital of Smart Tourism, can be found in the Compendium of Best Practices, the go-to guide to smart tourism in the EU.
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