Competition: European Capital of Tourism 2027

The European Commission has launched the European Capitals of Tourism competition to promote smart and sustainable tourism in the EU, create destination networks, strengthen them, and facilitate the exchange of best practices.

Eligibility:

The competition is open to cities in EU Member States and non-EU countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Kosovo, Liechtenstein, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Turkey, and Ukraine) with a population between 25,000 and 100,000. For smaller countries with a total population of less than 1 million, cities with more than 5,000 inhabitants may apply.

Categories:

The Commission will award two destinations that demonstrate exceptional achievements in two categories.

• Category 1: Cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants: recognition of excellence in sustainability, accessibility, digitalization, cultural heritage, and creativity.
• Category 2: Destinations with between 25,000 and 100,000 inhabitants: Recognition for smaller destinations that are leaders in sustainable tourism through ecological transition practices.

Evaluation criteria:

The European jury will make the final selection of the two winning European capital cities, based on the following criteria:

1. How significant is the impact of the sustainable practices? And what is the level of innovation? (To what extent can we consider the destination a benchmark in this area?)
   To what extent does the local community benefit from the sustainable practices?
2. How transferable/replicable are the sustainable transition practices for other destinations?
3. How strategic is the commitment to a long-term sustainable transition as a tourist destination?

Prizes:

• Expert communication and brand support for one year.
• Tailor-made promotional activities designed to increase visitor numbers.
• A promotional video.

Registration deadline: June 12, 2026 at 5:00 PM (CET).