Dubrovnik shortlisted for the European Green Pioneer of Smart Tourism Award for 2026

Dubrovnik, along with seven other European cities, has been shortlisted for the European Commission's (EC) "European Green Pioneer of Smart Tourism for 2026" award, which is awarded for its commitment to shaping the future of sustainable and innovative tourism in Europe. The winner will be announced at the end of November.

The finalists for these awards have been announced by the Commission. In addition to Dubrovnik, they are Geestland from Germany, Ibiza from Spain, Laois from Ireland, Mariagerfjord and Rebild from Denmark, Marmaris from Turkey and Tartu from Estonia, who were shortlisted from 26 cities from 18 countries, according to the secretariat for the award.

As they add, due to the many high-quality applications from cities that achieved equal results in the evaluation process, the EC decided to increase the number of finalists from four to eight this year, all of whom will be invited to present their proposals to the European jury on November 18 and 19, and will then declare the European Green Pioneer of Smart Tourism for 2026.

The winning destination will, in addition to being recognized as a pioneer of sustainable tourism committed to achieving the goals of the European Green Deal, receive expert and marketing support at the EU level throughout 2026.

The competition was and remains open to cities in the EU and in non-EU countries participating in the Single Market program.

The award or competition for the European Green Pioneer of Smart Tourism is the successor to the European Destination of Excellence (EDEN) competition, which was launched by the EC in 2007 and in which Croatia has participated from the beginning with several of the best destinations of the year, with the operational leadership of the Croatian National Tourist Board (HTZ). The Spanish city of Benidorm has been named the 2025 pioneer, while Grosseto in Italy won in 2024.

The aim of the competition and promotion of the award is to raise the profile of Europe as a sustainable tourism destination and to establish a network for the exchange of best practices in the green transition among European destinations, according to the award secretariat.

Source: HRT