European Commission announces shortlist for the 2026 European Capital & Green Pioneer of Smart Tourism awards

The European Commission has revealed the finalists for the 2026 European Capital and Green Pioneer of Smart Tourism competitions. These awards recognise cities that demonstrate an exceptional commitment to smart and sustainable tourism, promote networking and the exchange of best practices to boost tourism innovation across Europe.

European Capital of Smart Tourism 2026 – Smart gets you further

From a pool of 32 candidates from 12 countries, seven cities have been shortlisted for the 2026 European Capital of Smart Tourism award. The finalists are: Braga (Portugal), Bruges (Belgium), Brussels (Belgium), Genoa (Italy), Leipzig (Germany), Regensburg (Germany), Tampere (Finland). 

Many of the different approaches to enhance smart tourism support sustainable urban mobility in the cities. Examples include:

• Braga - The city has focused on measures to encourage acceptance and use of public transport, including a bus rapid transit lane. They have also increased pedestrian-friendly infrastructure and their Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP) prioritises walking, cycling and clean transport.
• Leipzig - The city's digital platform 'LeipzigMOVE' provides multilingual transport options for public transport, car sharing, taxis, bike and e-scooter sharing.
• Brussels - The city has developed public transport systems that are 'accessible and inclusive for all'. Pedestrian routes and green mobility initiatives make it a 15-minute city, and 80% of the metro network, all buses and all new trams are now wheelchair accessible.
• Bruges - The city has been enhancing livability through introducing car-free and car-reduced zones, improving cycling infrastructure and limiting visitor tours.

European Green Pioneer of Smart Tourism 2026 – Green leads the way

In the 2026 European Green Pioneer of Smart Tourism competition, eight cities were selected from 26 applicant destinations across 18 countries, recognising their exceptional contributions to sustainable tourism. The finalists are: Dubrovnik (Croatia), Geestland (Germany), Ibiza (Spain), Laois (Ireland), Mariagerfjord (Denmark), Marmaris (Türkiye), Rebild (Denmark), Tartu (Estonia).

Again many actions the cities have taken include supporting urban mobility measures:

• Dubrovnik - Striving to become a more sustainable city by improving its transport sources, the city has introduced 68 new buses, including 14 electric ones, for which most users can travel on for free.
• Geestland - With sustainable mobility one of their core missions, they have introduced an electric driverless bus which offers free rides during the trial phase, as well as other eco-friendly ways to travel such as e-bike charging, shared taxis and cargo bike rental (supported by the Smart Cities programme).
• Laois - As part of The Low Carbon Project, Portlaoise Municipal District has been actively working with the community on activities such as reconfiguring traffic flows through the town centre to reduce congestion, and supporting more active travel through walking and cycling.
• Mariagerfjord - Focusing on green mobility, there is a community-based car-sharing scheme along the east coast to improve mobility for both locals and tourists.
• Tartu - The city has introduced a fully integrated transport system in which city buses run on renewable biomethane, saving 4,330 tonnes of CO₂ every year. These buses are supported by a smart bike-sharing system comprising over 800 bicycles. Safe, green cycling lanes also connect tourist spots with residential areas and can easily be easily found using a virtual map.

More information on each shortlisted city can be found here. Due to the high quality of applications and several cities being tied in the evaluation, the shortlists for both competitions have been extended from four to seven and eight destinations, respectively. 

All finalists will present their proposals to a European jury on 18 and 19 November 2025 in Brussels. The winners of the 2026 European Capital and Green Pioneer of Smart Tourism awards will then be selected. 

Both initiatives are open to cities in the European Union and non-EU countries participating in the Single Market Programme. A rigorous evaluation process led by independent experts identified the top scoring cities, which have now been shortlisted.

What’s in it for the winners?

The winning cities will receive extensive communication and branding support. This will include the creation of a promotional video, installation of a hashtag sculpture in the city, and implementation of tailored promotional campaigns to increase visibility at EU and global levels.

About the Initiative

Launched in 2018, the European Capital of Smart Tourism competition aims to highlight cities that excel in accessibility, digitalisation, sustainability, and cultural heritage and creativity. Previous winners include Torino (2025), Dublin (2024), Seville and Pafos (2023), València and Bordeaux (2022), Málaga and Gothenburg (2020) and Helsinki and Lyon (2019). The European Green Pioneer of Smart Tourism, introduced as the successor to the European Destinations of Excellence (EDEN) competition, focuses on promoting smaller sustainable tourism destinations. Benidorm (Spain) was selected as the 2025 European Green Pioneer of Smart Tourism, and Grosseto (Italy) won the title in 2024.

The ‘Leading Examples of Smart and Sustainable Tourism Practices in Europe’ reports and the EU Smart Tourism Podcast series highlight key insights from previous winners and finalists, fostering knowledge-sharing across the region.

For the latest updates on the European Smart Tourism, follow on website, Facebook, X or Linkedin.

Original press release: DG MOVE

Author: Hannah Willetts

Views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and do not reflect those of the European Commission.