Gothenburg receives The European Capital of Smart Tourism 2020 award

The title is also held by Malaga

The Swedish city of Gothenburg received The European Capital of Smart Tourism 2020 award at a ceremony in Helsinki last week. The title is bestowed by The European Commission aiming to recognize cities with the smartest, most innovative and inclusive approaches to tourism development.

"This marks the start of a new era for Gothenburg. We are going from smart to smarter, and we intend to be a motor for the entire EU", excited announced the city’s representative Peter Grönberg at the ceremony.

35 cities from 17 countries, members of the Euriopean Union, took part in the competition that evaluates candidates from four categories:

• sustainability
• accessibility
• digitalisation
• culture and creativity 

Ten cities were selected for the final presentation in Helsinki.

The wisdom of investing in sustainability, accessibility, digitalisation, culture and creativity

The strengths of Gothenburg shined brightly in all four categories and the city was ready to share best practices and know-how with other destinations. The Swedish city is in the digital frontline, with high connectivity and a large number of tech companies. The city is a leader in sustainability, boasting a number one ranking in the Global Destination Sustainability Index.

Anneli Rhedin, Lord Mayor of Gothenburg at the official ceremony underlined that “It is very rewarding to be in Helsinki to discuss Gothenburg as a smart destination. We are very proud of our city and we work hard to win even more people's confidence to visit us”.

The European Commission awards the title of European Capital of Smart Tourism 2020 to two EU cities with the smartest, most innovative and inclusive approaches to their tourism development. For 2020 the title is to be held by Gothenburg and Malaga.

By focusing on smart tourism, the EU aims to encourage innovation of tourism destinations, support culturally diverse and inclusive tourism and prioritized the contribution of tourism to sustainable development.