Good practices

The European Commission’s “European Capital of Smart Tourism” initiative, launched in 2018, selects cities based on innovative and inclusive tourism practices. The Compendium of Best Practices is drawn from applications submitted by cities during the 2019 and 2020 competitions, collating...

Äksyt Ämmät Oy, also known internationally as Green Finn Tour Operator, is a fully licensed tour agency and DMC based in Nurmes, North Karelia, Finland, offering eco-conscious, responsible travel experiences since the mid‑1990s. Äksyt Ämmät focuses on experiences that tread lightly...

Justgood Tourism, founded in 2020 and based in Padova, Italy, is a multidisciplinary consultancy specializing in transforming tourist destinations, DMOs (Destination Management Organizations), and public bodies into proactive agents of sustainable tourism. Their mission is clear: shift the focus from...

Alpine Pearls is a transnational network of Alpine destinations across Germany, Austria, Slovenia, and Italy, formed in 2006 to promote sustainable, car-free tourism. Since 2022, this cooperation operates as a European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC) to deepen eco-travel solutions....

The Toolkit for Tourism Destination Management, developed by Etifor (a University of Padova spin-off), adapts the European Tourism Indicator System (ETIS) to offer a practical, stakeholder-driven guide for sustainable destination management. It equips local leaders with hands-on tools to monitor,...

The European Capital of Smart Tourism initiative, run by the European Commission, showcases outstanding innovation in European tourism. Each year, cities compete and share their most successful practices across four key categories: Accessibility, Sustainability, Digitalisation, and Cultural Heritage & Creativity....

Sustainable tourism plays a pivotal role in achieving the UN’s 2030 Agenda. The UN’s SDG platform highlights its significance by linking tourism to economic growth (SDG 8), responsible consumption (SDG 12), and conservation of oceans (SDG 14). What Is Sustainable Tourism? The UN...

The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) released the updated Destination Criteria v2.0 on December 6, 2019. Designed as a global baseline standard, this revision includes performance indicators and aligns each criterion with relevant UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It helps...

“The Next Hit: Smart Destinations” offers a practical and inspiring framework for tourism destinations—especially smaller cities and rural areas—to transform through smart, sustainable innovations. Released in late 2018, this guide illustrates how carefully applied ICT and data-driven strategies can enhance...

ADVANCE CIRCULAR is an impactful transnational project (2023–2025) co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union, focused on developing circular economy skills. Led by Romania’s National Institute for Research and Development in Tourism (INCDT), it unites organizations across four...