Cork and Dublin make European Capital of Smart Tourism Award final

‘The real capital’ and the actual capital of Ireland have both been selected as finalists for the European Capital of Smart Tourism awards.

Cork and Dublin have been chosen from a pool of 30 candidates spanning 17 countries, along with Bremerhaven in Germany, Genoa in Italy, Helsingborg in Sweden and San Sebastián in Spain.

Essen in Germany, Gdynia in Poland, Odense in Denmark, Padua in Italy, and Parma in Italy are designated as runner-up cities The esteemed honor will be granted to the city that demonstrates an extraordinary commitment to shaping the future of sustainable and innovative tourism.

The Rebel City and the Big Smoke will now be invited to present their proposals to a European Jury, tasked with selecting the 2024 European Capital of Smart Tourism. The chosen city will receive extensive support in communication and branding.

This includes the creation of a promotional video, the installation of a hashtag sculpture for a public exhibition in the city, and the implementation of tailored promotional campaigns aimed at boosting visibility at both the EU and global levels, ultimately resulting in an increase in the number of visitors.

The competition welcomed participation from cities within the European Union and non-EU countries that are eligible for the Single Market programme.

An impartial panel of experts conducted a thorough evaluation of the applications, and those applicants who achieved the highest cumulative score across all categories successfully advanced.

Starting in 2018, the European Capital of Smart Tourism competition has provided a platform to highlight exceptional practices and achievements.

Previous winners include Seville and Pafos in 2023, València and Bordeaux in 2022, Málaga and Gothenburg in 2020, and Helsinki and Lyon in 2019.

The initiative rewards cities for their innovative approaches in areas such as accessibility, digitalisation, sustainability, and cultural heritage and creativity. Winning cities are given a platform to showcase their outstanding practices to the world.