EU – Baltic States, Rating, Tourism
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Wednesday, 24.04.2024, 10:34
Helsinki and Lyon awarded titles of 2019 European Capitals of Smart Tourism
Pia
Pakarinen, Helsinki’s Deputy Mayor, Alain Galliano, Vice-President of Lyon
Métropole and Jean-Michel Daclin, President of ONLYLYON Tourism and
Congress, received European Capitals of Smart Tourism 2019 trophies on behalf
of their cities and were delighted that long-term efforts in creating smart
environments for tourists in their cities have been recognised at EU-level.
In praise of the winners, Commissioner Elżbieta Bieńkowska,
responsible for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs,
stated: "I congratulate
Helsinki and Lyon for the outstanding solutions that they put in place to make
tourism in their cities smart and innovative. Our objective at EU level is to
foster the sustainable development of tourism by showcasing innovative
solutions from EU cities in tourism. We believe that the European Capital of
Smart Tourism initiative will help to establish a framework of exchange of good
practices between European cities, including learning from each other and
networking, creating opportunities for cooperation and new partnerships.
Tourism is important for the EU economy so we all need to work together more
effectively to be more competitive and grow in a sustainable way".
Pia Pakarinen, Helsinki’s Deputy Mayor commented: “We very much appreciate the opportunity to
be the first European Capital of Smart Tourism. The first ones always set the
bar and we aim high”.
David
Kimelfeld, President of Lyon Métropole, proud of his city’s achievement said in a
video message: "The
exchange of good ideas has always moved us forward in Europe and that is why we
are so pleased to receive this Award and to have the opportunity to share with
other European cities a few of our ideas about smart tourism. We hope with our
initiatives we can also inspire other cities!"
In addition, four cities received 2019 European Smart Tourism Awards for
their outstanding achievements in the four categories of the competition:
Málaga (Accessibility), Ljubljana (Sustainability), Copenhagen (Digitalisation)
and Linz (Cultural Heritage & Creativity).
The European Capital of Smart Tourism is a new EU initiative, based on a
proposal from the European Parliament, which secured its funding for 2018-2019
through a Preparatory Action. The initiative seeks to strengthen
tourism-generated innovative development in EU cities and their surroundings,
increase their attractiveness as well as strengthen economic growth and
job creation. It also aims to establish a framework for the exchange of best
practices between cities participating in the contest, create opportunities for
cooperation and new partnerships.
In order to become a European Capital of Smart Tourism, a city needed to
demonstrate exemplary achievements as a tourism destination in implementing
innovative and intelligent solutions in all four award categories:
accessibility, sustainability, digitalisation, cultural heritage and
creativity. It also needed to convince the European Jury about its
suitability to act as role model for other burgeoning smart tourism
destinations.
Cities of more than 100.000 inhabitants were eligible in the first
edition of this competition. 38 cities from 19 EU Member States applied, but
Helsinki and Lyon stood out for their innovative tourism measures and the
impressive programme of activities they have put together to celebrate their
achievements.
Helsinki and Lyon have been awarded with promotional videos, exhibition
at European Tourism Day and purpose-built giant sculptures which will be
installed in prominent locations in the two cities. During 2019 both
Capitals will benefit also from promotional actions at EU level.
To celebrate their success, Helsinki and Lyon have planned an exciting
schedule of activities for 2019. For example, Helsinki will be launching a
smart city guidance pilot scheme, making use of collaborative work with
businesses and digital tools to create a smarter way to guide people in the
city. Helsinki will organise a workshop with other European cities on smart
tourism and will hold the World Tourism Cities Federation's annual global
summit and trade fair.
Lyon's representatives will be travelling the globe for shows, press
meetings and special events to inform new audiences about the city’s smart
opportunities. These activities will be supplemented by Lyon’s 26,000 strong
network of ambassadors. The city is also launching its World Travel Influencer Meetings and is taking part in the Global
Sustainability Programme.