Gothenburg starts the year as Capital of Smart Tourism

“Gothenburg has been given a fantastic opportunity to drive the sustainable development of smart tourism cities in Europe. We intend to carry the title proudly with our stakeholders and showcase our strengths as a destination,” says Peter Grönberg, CEO of Göteborg & Co.

The “European Capital of Smart Tourism” competition was set up by the European Commission to reward cities that set an example in smart, innovative and inclusive tourism solutions. Back in August, Gothenburg was chosen as one of two winning cities for 2020. The city that is appointed as the capital must show strong performance in four categories: accessibility, sustainability, digitalisation and cultural heritage/creativity. In its competition entry, Gothenburg highlighted its strengths in all four categories and underlined its ambition to share its knowledge and experience with other destinations.

Around 40 representatives of the city, academia and the business community gathered on Friday for a kick-off meeting for the year as capital of smart tourism. The aim is to get as many people as possible to help make this year an engine of development for the destination.

“It is genuinely inspiring that we are continuing to develop our fantastic city sustainably together,” says Helena Wiberg of Swedavia, who was present at the meeting.

Gothenburg has been invited by the European Commission to exhibit at a variety of trade fairs and conferences in Europe during the year. A range of activities will also take place on home ground, which Gothenburg will host together with various partners.

“There is a real commitment here to make Gothenburg an even better city and destination. We will put this enthusiasm to good use in this project. Working closely with our stakeholders, we will go from smart to even smarter this year,” says Peter Grönberg.

About the prize:

The European Commission awards the title of “European Capital of Smart Tourism” to two European cities at a time. The winning cities must stand out from the competition by developing tourism in smart, innovative and inclusive ways. Helsinki and Lyon held the title in 2019, and in 2020 it is the turn of Gothenburg and Malaga to take over the role of smart capital.

The competition is open to cities in the EU with a population of over 100,000. In EU countries that do not have such large cities, the largest city may enter.

By rewarding smart destinations, the EU aims to promote tourism development that is innovative, multicultural and inclusive. It also aims to highlight how tourism can contribute to sustainable development.