European Capital of Smart Tourism

With European collaboration and a strategic smart tourism vision at its heart, Dublin City has been awarded the 2024 European Capital of Smart Tourism title in recognition of its efforts to implement a more sustainable tourism model. Dublin will now use the designation to help drive collaboration across Ireland and the EU and share its smart tourism journey with other innovative destinations.

Our Smart Tourism programme, established in 2019, has been sharing, collaborating, and learning from some of the best cities in Europe and embedding this best practice in our work. Having been shortlisted for the title of European Capital of Smart Tourism in 2021, we and our partners have been driving positive transformation in our city’s tourism industry. The outcome of this journey has been the co-creation of a five-year smart strategy and action plan with inclusivity and sustainability at its heart.

Embedding our Smart Tourism Journey in a Sustainable Tourism Strategy for Dublin City

We are immensely proud of our city, where community, technology, and innovation converge to redefine the experience of residents and visitors. We have been working hard every day on our commitment to share the rich tapestry of local stories, unique literature, artwork and heritage while making sure that Dublin is a destination that works for its residents and its environment. This ambition is best encapsulated in our new Tourism Strategy 2023-2028, which defines our tourism goals for the next five years.

Irish and EU Collaboration is at the Heart of our Designation In 2024

Winning the 2024 European Capital of Smart Tourism Award guarantees our ability to embed our sustainable values and guide other destinations on their Smart Tourism journey. We eagerly invite our friends and colleagues across Dublin, Ireland and the EU in 2024. We look forward to welcoming you to our city this year and collaborating to create better and smarter destinations.

Accessibility: Means we are Open, Inclusive and Aware
When it comes to diversity and accessibility, we embrace them; we celebrate openness, inclusivity, and awareness. We were delighted to recently launch our ambition to become the world’s first Autism Friendly City by 2026. In a vibrant and dynamic city known for its rich history and cultural heritage, we envision a Dublin that recognises and actively nurtures the unique abilities and talents of its autistic residents and visitors.

Sustainability: Means we are Proactive, Accountable, and Measurable
As a UNESCO Bay Biosphere, sustainability is at our core in Dublin. Dublin paves the way for emission-free exploration by promoting sustainable tourism and a well-functioning public transport system. Our commitment to carbon neutrality by 2050 aligns with UN climate targets. As well as this, we are the only Irish City to sign up to the Glasgow Declaration on Sustainable Tourism Development.

Cultural Heritage & Creativity: Means we are Connecting, Creating, Sharing and Protecting
Our unique culture and heritage are not just beneficiaries of tourism but are actively protected, promoted and developed by it. Our people-centric, community-based approach is best evidenced by the work of our Dublin City Council Culture Company, who manage many of our wonderful buildings, including the award-winning 14 Henrietta Street.

Digitalisation: Means we are Future Facing, Collaborative, Digitally Advanced
Dublin is home to Europe’s first Smart Tourism Programme, which has been running since 2019! We recognised an enormous opportunity to blend our technology, culture and tourism expertise to build a more future-facing offer in Dublin. We will be a test-bed for innovation within the tourism industry in Dublin, ultimately creating more and better experiences for visitors. The programme’s strength is in the support of Dublin’s major public and private tourism partners, such as Smart Dublin, Dublin City Council and Dublin’s four Local Authorities. Our commitment to blending our expertise in digital innovation and tourism is exemplified by the launch of the Dublin Discovery Trails App, which brings the history and heritage of our wonderful city to life through the magic of Augmented Reality.

Our Capital Programme for 2024 Q1

January

Smart Tourism Capital Video Production: On Location with the European Commission Film Crew in Dublin to shoot the promotional video for the European Capital Designation.

European Capital of Smart Tourism Podcast: Barry Rogers of the Dublin City Tourism Unit joins the European Capital of Smart Tourism podcast to speak about winning the designation and what it will mean for Dublin in 2024.

Official Launch Event: Dublin officially launches its title as the European Capital of Smart Tourism by lighting up the iconic Samuel Beckett Bridge with the European Flag and an invitation to visit, share, learn and collaborate with us in Dublin in 2024.

Sustainable Tourism Conference: Dublin takes a stand at the Sustainable Travel Conference in Galway to celebrate and communicate its new destination.

Dub+ Partners Conference: Barry Rogers of the Dublin City Tourism Unit speaks about the importance of Dublin’s new Capital designation at the Dub+ conference organised by Dublin Airport.

February

Website & Programme Launch: Dublin launches its website and programme for its 2024 capital designation.

Launch of Dear Dublin Citizen Dashboard: Dublin launches a first-of-its-kind citizen-focused tourism dashboard. Dear Dublin, which will launch in February 2024, is dedicated to amplifying the voices of Dubliners within the tourism conversation in Dublin.

Tourism Open Data Hack: The Dublin City Tourism Unit launch a hack event focused on building tourism data solutions using new and existing open data sources.

March

Opening of Smart Tourism Office: Dublin will unveil its new Smart Tourism Office, which will serve as a dedicated space to host and exhibit the 2024 capital designation.

Dublin Economic Monitor Tourism Event: Dublin City Council will host its annual Dublin Economic Monitor event focusing on Tourism and Dublin as the European Capital of Smart Tourism.

ITB Berlin Smart Tourism Capital Stand: Dublin will be represented at ITB Berlin on the European Capital of Smart Tourism Stand alongside Grosseto the 2024 Green Pioneer.

EU & Industry Collaboration Showcase Digitalisation: Dublin City will host a dedicated in-person showcase on Digitalisation in tourism focused on sharing best practices and driving destination collaboration in Europe and Ireland.

Official Opening Ceremony and Designation Handover: Dublin will unveil its new Smart Tourism Office, which will serve as a dedicated space to host and exhibit the 2024 capital designation. We will also gather our national and international stakeholders to celebrate our official designation as the European Capital of Smart Tourism.