Benidorm finalist for the 'Green Pioneer of Smart Tourism 2025' award
The city will defend its candidacy against six other European cities in Brussels in November.
Benidorm has been selected as a finalist for the European Green Pioneer of Smart Tourism 2025 award, which is presented by the European Commission to the city that demonstrates outstanding commitment to shaping the future of sustainable and innovative tourism. Benidorm will compete with six other European cities for the award: Aveiro (Portugal), Jurmala (Latvia), Liepãja (Latvia), Nea Propontida (Greece), Panevézys (Lithuania) and Sliven (Bulgaria).
Under the Smart Tourism umbrella, the European Commission has launched two competitions, the European Capital of Smart Tourism and the Green Pioneer of Smart Tourism, with the aim of promoting smart tourism in the European Union, strengthening and networking destinations and facilitating the exchange of good practices.
The number of finalists for the Green Pioneer of Smart Tourism award should have been four, but the panel of experts decided to extend the list to seven because some of the candidate cities scored equally well during the evaluation process.
Benidorm will present its proposal on 27 November in Brussels to a European jury appointed by the European Commission itself.
The winning destination will be positioned as a pioneer in tourism sustainability, committed to the objectives of the European Green Pact, and will receive expert communication and branding support at EU level over the next year.
The 'European Green Pioneer of Smart Tourism' award is the successor to the 'European Destinations of Excellence' competition launched by the European Commission in 2007 to reward emerging and non-traditional sustainable tourism destinations in Europe. The Italian city of Grosseto has been selected as the European Green Pioneer for Smart Tourism 2024.
