# Smart Tourism (smarttourism.com)

> Independent guide to smart tourism: the EU programmes, policy, data infrastructure, regulation and city tools that shape how destinations manage visitors. Every entry links to a primary or reporting source. Last reviewed October 2026. Not affiliated with the European Commission.

## Happening now (October 2026)
- [EU Sustainable Tourism Strategy](https://www.smarttourism.com/eu-sustainable-tourism-strategy.html): The Commission is scheduled to present the EU's first strategy for tourism on 4 November 2026. It is non-binding, but it will set the direction for EU funding, data infrastructure and rules affecting destinations. Managing visitor flows, a tourism data space and the use of data and AI are among the areas the Commission has said it will cover.
- 18–19 Nov 2026: Jury hears the 16 cities in the running for European Capitals of Tourism 2027. Shortlisted cities present to the European jury in Brussels, which then names one winner for cities above 100,000 people and one for cities of 25,000 to 100,000. Ljubljana, Salzburg, Genoa and Ibiza are among them. [Travel Tomorrow](https://traveltomorrow.com/which-cities-are-in-the-running-for-european-capital-of-tourism-2027/)
- 16 Nov 2026: Commission to walk member states through the tourism strategy. The Council's tourism working party has the EU Sustainable Tourism Strategy on its agenda: a presentation by the Commission, then an exchange of views among national delegations. [Council of the EU, CM 4618/26](https://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/CM-4618-2026-INIT/en/pdf)
- Oct 2026: First EU Academy for Tourism announced as the sector runs a million workers short. Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas told the WTTC Global Summit in Malta that the academy will link training providers with tourism businesses. He also said the strategy will cover a tourism data space and support for destinations using data and AI. [RusTourismNews](https://www.rustourismnews.com/2026/10/14/eu-plans-tourism-academy-as-sector-faces-million-worker-shortage/)
- Sep 2026: 16 cities shortlisted for European Capitals of Tourism 2027. The first edition under the merged title that replaced the European Capital of Smart Tourism and Green Pioneer awards. Eight cities compete in each size category, including Lviv, Konya, Zadar and Calais. [TravelDailyNews](https://www.traveldailynews.com/organizations/european-commission-shortlists-16-cities-for-tourism-2027-titles/)
- 27 Sep 2026: World Tourism Day dedicated to the digital agenda and AI. El Salvador hosted this year's official celebration, with UN Tourism framing AI and digital tools as the theme for the sector. [Hospitality Net](https://www.hospitalitynet.org/event/3007425/world-tourism-day-2026-digital-agenda-and-artificial-intelligence-to-redesign-tourism)
- Jul 2026: Venice closes its second year of day-tripper charging. The access fee ran on 60 peak days from 3 April to 26 July, at €5 when booked at least four days ahead and €10 closer to the visit. [Wego](https://blog.wego.com/venice-access-fee/)
- 28 May 2026: Member states set their priorities for the tourism strategy. Council conclusions under the Cyprus Presidency call for balanced tourism that tackles both crowding and under-visited regions, year-round connectivity, skills and crisis preparedness. [Cyprus Mail](https://cyprus-mail.com/2026/05/29/eu-adopts-cyprus-backed-plan-for-tourisms-future)
- 20 May 2026: Short-term rental data rules apply EU-wide. Regulation (EU) 2024/1028 sets up host registration and platform data sharing with authorities. Caps and bans remain local decisions. [EU Tourism Platform](https://transition-pathways.europa.eu/tourism/legislation/eu-regulation-data-collection-and-sharing-short-term-accommodation-rentals)

## EU awards
- [European Capitals of Tourism, official site](https://smart-tourism-capital.ec.europa.eu/about/european-capital-smart-tourism_en): criteria are sustainability, accessibility, digitalisation, cultural heritage and creativity. Recent capitals: 2023 Pafos and Seville, 2024 Dublin, 2025 Torino, 2026 Tampere.
- [2027 competition launch and merger](https://smart-tourism-capital.ec.europa.eu/press/news/european-commission-announces-european-capitals-tourism-competition-2027-2026-04-07_en)
- [Leading Examples of Smart Tourism Practices in Europe](https://urban-mobility-observatory.transport.ec.europa.eu/news-events/news/2026-smart-tourism-competition-opens-2025-best-practices-report-released-2025-03-18_en)

## EU policy
- [EU Strategy on Sustainable Tourism, Parliament tracker](https://www.europarl.europa.eu/legislative-train/theme-a-new-plan-for-europe-s-sustainable-prosperity-and-competitiveness/file-european-strategy-on-sustainable-tourism)
- [Transition Pathway for Tourism, progress to 2024](https://transition-pathways.europa.eu/tourism/ttp-reports/transition-pathway-tourism-taking-stock-progress-2024)
- [EU Tourism Platform: 2025 insights](https://transition-pathways.europa.eu/tourism/articles/year-transformation-key-insights-eu-tourism-transition-pathway-2025)

## Data and AI
- [Towards a Common European Tourism Data Space (2023 Communication)](https://transition-pathways.europa.eu/system/files/2024-09/Communication%20from%20the%20commission%20towards%20a%20common%20European%20Tourism%20Data%20Space.pdf)
- [DEPLOYTOUR, deployment of the European Tourism Data Space, Oct 2024 to Sep 2027](https://www.dig.polimi.it/en/research-projects/deploytour---deployment-of-the-european-tourism-data-space)
- [Living-in.EU](https://portico.urban-initiative.eu/urban-panorama/living-ineu) and the [EU Local Digital Twin Toolbox](https://interoperable-europe.ec.europa.eu/collection/ldttoolbox/discover-eu-ldt-toolbox)

## Regulation
- [Regulation (EU) 2024/1028 on short-term rental data](https://transition-pathways.europa.eu/tourism/legislation/eu-regulation-data-collection-and-sharing-short-term-accommodation-rentals): host registration and platform data sharing; no EU-wide cap.

## Smart destination networks
- [SEGITTUR Smart Destinations Network (Spain)](https://segittur.es/en/press-releases/5th-meeting-of-smart-destination-network-managers-sees-175-managers-from-one-hundred-destinations-descend-on-gijon.html)
- [Intelligent Cities Challenge, concluded 2025](https://transition-pathways.europa.eu/pse/news/intelligent-cities-challenge-concludes-over-200-local-green-deals)
- [UN Tourism AI agenda](https://www.untourism.int/news/un-tourism-sets-artificial-intelligence-agenda-for-sector-as-general-assembly-concludes-in-riyadh)

## Visitor flows and overtourism
- [Venice Access Fee and crowd monitoring](https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/venice-introduces-new-booking-system-and-entry-fee-for-visitors): 60 chargeable days in 2026.

## Solutions directory

### [Short-term rental registration & compliance](https://www.smarttourism.com/short-term-rental-registration.html)
- [Rentalscape](https://www.smarttourism.com/solution-deckard-technologies-rentalscape.html) (Deckard Technologies): Finds and tracks short-term rentals in a jurisdiction whether or not they are registered, by scanning listings across thousands of rental sites. Adds registration and renewal, tax payment, a complaints line and a public map of registered units. Buyer: Local governments. Region: United States. Website: https://info.deckard.com/short-term-rental-software-government Source: https://info.deckard.com/short-term-rental-software-government
- [Host Compliance](https://www.smarttourism.com/solution-granicus-host-compliance.html) (Granicus): Permitting, monitoring of local-rule compliance and tax collection for short-term rentals. Founded in 2015 and acquired by the govtech company Granicus in November 2019. Buyer: Local governments. Region: United States. Website: https://granicus.com/ Source: https://www.govtech.com/biz/Granicus-Buys-Short-Term-Rental-Compliance-Software-Company.html
- [Short-Term Rental Registration](https://www.smarttourism.com/solution-accela-short-term-rental-registration.html) (Accela): Online licensing and enforcement system with a registration portal for hosts and an online complaint channel for neighbours. Listed as an Esri partner solution. Buyer: Local governments, hosts. Region: United States. Website: https://www.accela.com/solutions/short-term-rental/ Source: https://esri.com/partners/accela-inc-a2T70000000TNJ8EAO/accela-short-term-re-a2d5x000003l6zRAAQ
- [Chekin](https://www.smarttourism.com/solution-chekin-chekin.html) (Chekin): Online guest check-in, ID verification and a central, auditable record of guests by booking and property. Positions itself for the cleaner data the EU regulation expects. Its pages we read do not say it submits data to national registration portals. Buyer: Hosts, vacation rental and hotel managers. Region: European Union. Website: https://chekin.com/en/ Source: https://chekin.com/en/?p=368534

### [Visitor flows & crowd management](https://www.smarttourism.com/visitor-flows.html)
- [Smart destination intelligence](https://www.smarttourism.com/solution-mabrian-technologies-smart-destination-intelligence.html) (Mabrian Technologies (Almawave group)): Tracks visitors across the trip cycle from flight searches and air capacity to accommodation, spending, mobile data and reviews, with dashboards and standardised sustainability indicators. Buyer: Destinations, tourism boards. Region: Global; 900 destinations in 50 countries (vendor figure). In use at: Ibiza, Corsica. Website: https://mabrian.com/ Source: https://mabrian.com/
- [Smart Control Room (digital infrastructure)](https://www.smarttourism.com/solution-tim-smart-control-room-digital-infrastructure.html) (TIM): TIM supplied 5G, IoT, cloud, AI and analytics for Venice's city control room, with simplifying mobility and tourist flows among the stated goals. Venice pairs this monitoring with its day-tripper access fee. Buyer: City government. Region: Italy. In use at: Venice. Website: https://www.gruppotim.it/en/group/about-us/news/TIM-for-Venice.html Source: https://www.gruppotim.it/en/group/about-us/news/TIM-for-Venice.html
- [Sensor-based visitor guidance](https://www.smarttourism.com/solution-salzburg-research-sensor-based-visitor-guidance.html) (Salzburg Research): Infrared people counters and open-source computer vision on low-cost devices to measure how visitors move between spaces. Results fed staffing, signage and routing plans for a new visitor centre. Buyer: Heritage sites, museums. Region: Austria. In use at: DomQuartier Salzburg. Website: https://www.salzburgresearch.at/en/ Source: https://european-digital-innovation-hubs.ec.europa.eu/knowledge-hub/success-stories/sensor-based-visitor-guidance-concept-domquartier-salzburg
- [Affluences](https://www.smarttourism.com/solution-affluences-affluences.html) (Affluences): Shows real-time occupancy and waiting times for indoor venues from people-counting sensors or existing open data, with predictions refreshed every few minutes. Buyer: Museums, libraries, pools, venues. Region: Europe. In use at: Strasbourg. Website: https://www.pro.affluences.com/ Source: https://datos.gob.es/en/blog/experiences-managing-visitor-flows-tourist-destinations

### [Accessibility tools](https://www.smarttourism.com/accessibility.html)
- [TUR4all](https://www.smarttourism.com/solution-impulsa-igualdad-tur4all.html) (IMPULSA IGUALDAD (formerly PREDIF)): Bilingual web and mobile platform with expert accessibility audits of hotels, restaurants, museums, trails and transport, plus traveller reviews, a destination badge, consultancy and training. Buyer: Destinations, tourism businesses, travellers. Region: Spain. In use at: Spanish Smart Tourist Destinations. Website: https://www.tur4all.com/ Source: https://accessible-eu-centre.ec.europa.eu/tur4all-accessible-tourism-platform-spain_en
- [Wheelmap](https://www.smarttourism.com/solution-sozialheld-innen-wheelmap.html) (Sozialheld*innen): Crowd-sourced map rating places such as shops, restaurants and stations as accessible, partly accessible or not accessible for wheelchair users. Run by a Berlin non-profit. Buyer: Free for travellers; data for cities and planners. Region: Worldwide, 30 languages. Website: https://wheelmap.org/ Source: https://eib.org/en/stories/wheelchair-map-app
- [Pantou](https://www.smarttourism.com/solution-pantou-pantou.html) (Pantou (EU-supported)): Signposting directory of accessible tourism suppliers across Europe, launched in 2014 with European Commission support. Suppliers maintain their own entries. Buyer: Travellers, accessible tourism suppliers. Region: Europe. Source: https://reducedmobility.eu/20140109417/Blog/accessible-tourism-directory-pantou-launched.html

### [Sustainability measurement](https://www.smarttourism.com/sustainability-measurement.html)
- [GDS-Index](https://www.smarttourism.com/solution-global-destination-sustainability-movement-gds-index.html) (Global Destination Sustainability Movement): Benchmark that scores destinations on sustainability performance. States alignment with the GSTC destination criteria, the UN SDGs, the Paris Agreement and the ISEAL code. Buyer: Cities and destinations. Region: Global. Website: https://www.gds.earth/ Source: https://www.gds.earth/faq-items/how-does-the-gds-index-align-with-global-sustainability-standards/
- [Green Destinations certification](https://www.smarttourism.com/solution-green-destinations-green-destinations-certification.html) (Green Destinations): Five levels across an awards track and a certification track, built on the Green Destinations Standard V3. The top level covers a regeneration pathway with 61 criteria. Buyer: Destinations. Region: Global. Website: https://www.greendestinations.org/ Source: https://www.greendestinations.org/certification-program
- [Sustainability KPIs](https://www.smarttourism.com/solution-mabrian-technologies-sustainability-kpis.html) (Mabrian Technologies (Almawave group)): Standardised economic, environmental, social and structural indicators delivered alongside Mabrian's visitor intelligence. Also listed under visitor flows. Buyer: Destinations, tourism boards. Region: Global. Website: https://mabrian.com/ Source: https://mabrian.com/

### [AI for destinations](https://www.smarttourism.com/ai.html)
- [GuideGeek for destinations](https://www.smarttourism.com/solution-matador-network-guidegeek-for-destinations.html) (Matador Network): Custom AI travel assistant trained on a destination's own content plus wider travel data, deployed on the DMO's website and messaging channels. Destinations keep access to their visitor data. Buyer: DMOs, tourism boards. Region: Global. In use at: NYC Tourism + Conventions, Destination Toronto, South African Tourism, Snowmass Tourism. Website: https://brands.guidegeek.com/ Source: https://venturebeat.com/business/guidegeek-wants-to-build-a-custom-ai-for-every-destination
- [Answer Intelligence](https://www.smarttourism.com/solution-mindtrip-answer-intelligence.html) (Mindtrip): Shows a destination which questions travellers ask AI assistants, where its content is thin, and what to publish to be found by AI. Buyer: DMOs. Region: Global. Website: https://mindtrip.ai/business Source: https://www.phocuswire.com/news/technology/mindtrip-answer-intelligence-dmos-ai-visibility
- [Currents](https://www.smarttourism.com/solution-drifter-ai-currents.html) (Drifter AI): Measures how often AI systems recommend a destination against its peers, which sources they draw on, and the tone of what they say. Launched at ITB Berlin in March 2026. Buyer: DMOs, CVBs, hotels, attractions. Region: Global. Source: https://www2.newsfilecorp.com/release/286159/Drifter-AI-Launches-AI-Visibility-Platform-for-Destination-Marketing-Participating-in-ITB-Berlin-2026
- [Agentic destination management](https://www.smarttourism.com/solution-the-data-appeal-company-agentic-destination-management.html) (The Data Appeal Company (Almawave group)): Conversational interface over Data Appeal and Mabrian datasets that returns analyses, scenarios and reports, and alerts on falling resident sentiment. Phased general availability from early 2026. Buyer: DMOs, tourism boards, travel authorities. Region: Global. Website: https://www.datappeal.io/ Source: https://www.traveldailynews.com/organizations/data-appeal-introduces-agentic-destination-management-tool-for-next-generation-tourism-intelligence/

## [Links: policy, organisations and cities](https://www.smarttourism.com/links.html)

### EU policy & programmes
- [European Capitals of Tourism](https://smart-tourism-capital.ec.europa.eu/about/european-capital-smart-tourism_en): The EU's award for smart and sustainable city tourism.
- [EU Tourism Platform](https://transition-pathways.europa.eu/tourism/articles/year-transformation-key-insights-eu-tourism-transition-pathway-2025): Hub for the Transition Pathway for Tourism, pledges and best practice.
- [EU Strategy on Sustainable Tourism](https://www.europarl.europa.eu/legislative-train/theme-a-new-plan-for-europe-s-sustainable-prosperity-and-competitiveness/file-european-strategy-on-sustainable-tourism): Legislative train tracker. See also our briefing on the strategy.
- [European Tourism Data Space](https://transition-pathways.europa.eu/tourism/knowledge-documents/tourism-data-space-summary): Summary of the shared tourism data infrastructure and DEPLOYTOUR.
- [Regulation (EU) 2024/1028](https://transition-pathways.europa.eu/tourism/legislation/eu-regulation-data-collection-and-sharing-short-term-accommodation-rentals): Short-term rental data rules, applying since 20 May 2026.
- [EU Local Digital Twin Toolbox](https://interoperable-europe.ec.europa.eu/collection/ldttoolbox/discover-eu-ldt-toolbox): Open tools for city digital twins.

### Organisations & networks
- [UN Tourism](https://www.untourism.int/): UN agency for tourism; 2026 theme is digital agenda and AI.
- [Global Sustainable Tourism Council](https://www.gstc.org/): Sets the destination criteria most certification schemes align to.
- [ENAT](https://www.accessibletourism.org/): Accessible tourism network and policy voice.
- [ETOA](https://www.etoa.org/): Trade association for tour operators and suppliers in Europe.
- [SEGITTUR Smart Destinations Network](https://segittur.es/en/press-releases/5th-meeting-of-smart-destination-network-managers-sees-175-managers-from-one-hundred-destinations-descend-on-gijon.html): Spain's national smart destination methodology and network.
- [Living-in.EU](https://portico.urban-initiative.eu/urban-panorama/living-ineu): Movement for digital transformation of cities and regions.
- [Open & Agile Smart Cities](https://oascities.org/): Non-profit smart city network working on open standards.
- [Eurocities](http://eurocities.eu/): Network of major European city governments.
- [European Cyclists' Federation](https://www.ecf.com/en/news/cycling-tourism-deserves-higher-recognition-in-eus-sustainable-tourism-policies/): Advocates for cycling tourism in EU tourism policy.

### Cities
- [Tampere](https://visittampere.fi/en/articles/tampere-is-the-european-capital-of-smart-tourism-2026/): Recognised for accessibility, cultural heritage and digital innovation.
- [Dubrovnik](https://smart-tourism-capital.ec.europa.eu/cities-2026_en): 2026 winners and shortlist on the Commission site.
- [Dublin](https://ireland.representation.ec.europa.eu/projects/dublin-selected-european-capital-smart-tourism-2024_en): 2024 European Capital of Smart Tourism
- [Torino and Benidorm](https://smart-tourism-capital.ec.europa.eu/winners-and-finalists/cities-and-destinations-shortlisted-2025-competition_en): 2025 winners and shortlist.
- [Venice](https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/venice-introduces-new-booking-system-and-entry-fee-for-visitors): Day-tripper fee on 60 peak days in 2026.