Benidorm, one of the Region of Valencia’s seven place brands, has been selected as a finalist for the “European Green Pioneer of Smart Tourism 2025‟ award, sponsored by the European Commission.
This is awarded to the city that demonstrates an outstanding commitment to shaping the future of sustainable and innovative tourism.
Benidorm has been selected alongside six other European cities: Aveiro (Portugal), Jurmala (Latvia), Liepāja (Latvia), Nea Propontida (Greece), Panevéžys (Lithuania), and Sliven (Bulgaria).
Under the umbrella of Smart Tourism, the European Commission has launched two competitions: the European Capital and the Green Pioneer of Smart Tourism, with the aim of promoting smart tourism in the European Union, strengthening and connecting destinations, and facilitating the exchange of best practices.
Initially, the number of finalist cities for the Green Pioneer of Smart Tourism award was supposed to be four, but the candidates impressed the panel of experts so much that the European Commission decided to expand the list to seven finalists, as some candidates received the same score during the evaluation process.
Benidorm will present its proposal on November 27th in Brussels to a European jury appointed by the European Commission. In that presentation, the city will have to explain why it deserves to win this award, and the winner will be announced later that same day. The winning destination will be positioned as a pioneer in sustainable tourism committed to the objectives of the European Green Pact and will receive expert communication and branding support at the European Union level throughout the following year.
To reach the final, the aspiring cities submitted their proposals to a group of experts who were responsible for evaluating and scoring them. Those who achieved the highest scores are the ones who have advanced to the next stage.
The Mayor of Benidorm, Toni Pérez, expressed his “immense satisfaction” with the city’s selection and stated that “this confirms the commitment we made in 2015 to sustainability and smart tourism.”
Mr Pérez considered it a “tremendous success” that Benidorm “is among the European cities recognised for their sustainable and green policies framed within a smart tourism destination model.”
The mayor pointed out that Benidorm being the first municipality in the world to be recognised as a Smart Tourism Destination “was just another step in our journey towards becoming a fully sustainable city, aligned with the SDGs and committed to the environment.”
Mr Pérez noted that all the policies undertaken by his government “have aimed to continue being pioneers in tourism and sustainability, and we have proved this with actions,” citing examples such as efficient water management, the creation of new parks and large green areas like El Moralet or La Sèquia Mare, total street accessibility, almost 120 kilometres of bike lanes, “and a long list of other initiatives that have made us a benchmark in this area and have earned us numerous national and international recognition.”
The mayor also noted that being a finalist or winning this award “will serve as an inspiration to other European destinations and will elevate the city’s profile as a top-tier destination, which it already is, attracting visitors and promoting sustainable economic growth.”
The “European Green Pioneer of Smart Tourism‟ award is the successor to the “European Destinations of Excellence‟ competition, which the European Commission established in 2007 to recognise emerging and non-traditional sustainable tourism destinations in Europe. The Italian city of Grosseto was selected as the European Green Pioneer of Smart Tourism for 2024.
