Dublin City Council has launched its designation as the European Capital of Smart Tourism.
The European Capital of Smart Tourism designation is awarded by the European Commission to recognise cities that are leading the way in becoming more sustainable, accessible, cultural, and digital.
Previously shortlisted for this award in 2021, Dublin City is one of the only European cities to have an established Smart Tourism Programme, which is supported by Dublin City Council, Smart Dublin, and Dublin City Council Culture Company.
Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin, said: “I congratulate everybody concerned with Dublin’s designation as European Capital of Smart Tourism in 2024. This is a wonderful achievement that underscores the City Council’s commitment to ensuring that Dublin is a world-class sustainable, accessible, and cultural destination. Dublin is our Capital and is the gateway destination for many of the visitors to our Island.
“It’s wonderful to see the great work that our local authorities and tourism agencies are undertaking being recognised like this. I know it will serve to inspire other areas to strive for excellence in sustainable tourism practices that deliver better environmental, social, and economic outcomes for all.”
What will the designation involve?
For Dublin City Council and its partners, the designation will involve a programme of events, engagements, and activities focused on implementing the best practices in sustainable tourism.
Representatives from other leading European destinations will visit Dublin during the year to collaborate and share best practices with their counterparts in Dublin. The designation will help to drive greater collaboration between Dublin and other cities in the EU.
Richard Shakespeare, Chief Executive of Dublin City Council, said, “We are delighted that Dublin has been awarded the 2024 European Capital of Smart Tourism. This designation is a recognition of our commitment to deliver a greener, more accessible, inclusive and innovative Dublin, for both our visitors and locals.
“Our Smart Tourism programme, which was established in 2019, has been sharing, collaborating, and learning from some of the best cities in Europe and embedding this best practice in our own work through our new Tourism Strategy 2023-2023. We will proudly use this designation as a platform to deliver an innovative approach to tourism for Dublin.”
As part of the 2023 Culture Summit, the Dublin City Council Tourism Strategy 2023-2028 was launched in December last year.
