European Capitals of Tourism

To support European destinations in the smart and sustainable development of tourism, the EC is fostering the exchange of best practices that are inspiration for others. The aspects which require destinations’ attention from the tourism management perspective are widely considered: environmental, economic and social sustainability, smart mobility, accessibility, digitalisation, preservation and valorisation of the cultural heritage and creativity. Cycles 2028 and 2029, which make the object of this Call for Tender, introduce good governance (at local level) as an additional criteria. These cycles represent respectively the 9th and 10th of a competition which has established a brand at EU level for smart tourism and for the components required of successful tourism management: the procurement endorses these priorities by ensuring continuity and professionalism in the selection, evaluation and award methodologies and procedures over two cycles, and in the support to the winners from a PR and communication point of view. The importance of the procurement action lies in the intensity of tasks, which can not be carried out in-house for lack of resources.