Gothenburg gets the smarts

Gothenburg has started its 2020 campaign as one of two European Capitals of Smart Tourism and its tourism board Göteborg & Co says it will mark the year with a wide range of activities. It has already invited the visitor industry, businesses, the city and academia to share in the task of making Gothenburg an even smarter tourist destination. “Gothenburg has been given a fantastic opportunity to drive the sustainable development of smart tourism cities in Europe. We intend to carry the title proudly with our stakeholders and showcase our strengths as a destination,” said Peter Grönberg, CEO of Göteborg & Co. The European Capital of Smart Tourism competition was set up by the European Commission to reward cities that set an example in smart, innovative and inclusive tourism solutions. Back in August, Gothenburg was chosen as one of two winning cities for 2020 (the other being Malaga). Cities appointed must show strong performance in four categories: accessibility, sustainability, digitalisation and cultural heritage/creativity. Around 40 representatives of the city, academia and the business community gathered on 14 February for a kick-off meeting for the year as Capital of Smart Tourism. “It is genuinely inspiring that we are continuing to develop our fantastic city sustainably together,” said Helena Wiberg of Swedavia, who was present at the meeting. Gothenburg has been invited by the European Commission to exhibit at a variety of tradefairs and conferences in Europe during the year. “There is a real commitment here to make Gothenburg an even better city and destination. We will put this enthusiasm to good use in this project. Working closely with our stakeholders, we will go from smart to even smarter this year,” Grönberg added. The Smart City title was previously held by Helsinki and Lyon in 2019. The competition is open to cities in the EU with a population of over 100,000. In EU countries that do not have such large cities, the largest city may enter. By rewarding smart destinations, the EU aims to promote tourism development that is innovative, multicultural and inclusive. It also aims to highlight how tourism can contribute to sustainable development.