Seville has been elected European Capital of Smart Tourism 2023. A distinction that enshrines the tourism management model developed by the Seville City Council. The city has been chosen by the European Commission as a success story and an example of good practice and will become a benchmark for other capitals.

Seville competed against 28 other candidates from 13 countries and was the winner along with Paphos (Cyprus). Both will benefit from communication and branding support during 2023, including a promotional video of the city, a large sculpture as a trophy designed to be displayed in their city centres and other specific actions aimed at promoting the capital. Malaga and Valencia are the only Spanish capitals to have won this title in previous editions.

The distinction places Seville at the top of the international rankings and helps to raise its profile and gain visitors with the promotion of a destination that is the third most visited and fastest growing urban destination in Spain and which already offers itself as a shared city.

Sharing is smart has been the slogan of Seville’s candidacy and sums up the spirit of the municipal strategy: sharing experiences, spaces and ideas is the smartest way to improve.

The shared city in search of sustainability

Seville is working to become more environmentally, socially and economically sustainable by sharing:

• Public space, heritage and lifestyle with visitors and make tourism respectful, frictionless, safe and decongested in an inclusively.
• Awareness of visitors to generates a positive impact on the economy and protects job quality.
• Information and tools with visitors to enhance their digital experience as if they were residents.
• And a broader narrative of the city by expanding and diversifying the visitor experience to new areas of the city.

Some merits to achieving the award

The city belongs to the Network of Smart Tourist Destinations of Spain (Segittur) and participates in international events related to sustainable urban tourism. Seville has also launched a national pilot project to measure sustainability indices, both environmental, economic and social, with the help of Mabrian and Mastercard.

It also stands out for its mobility management, with the longest network of bicycle lanes and loan bicycles, which has won it numerous awards, and accessible public transport with subsidised fares. Seville has also been selected by the European Commission as a pilot city for the 100 Climate Neutral and Smart Cities Mission 2030.

In the candidacy presented to the European Commission, Seville points to ongoing projects such as Sevilla Smart Accessibility Tourist & Events, which uses new technologies to design accessible routes through Seville’s neighbourhoods and share this information with citizens and tourists via an app.

Or the initiative that, together with Bosch, Telefónica and Ferrovial, has enabled the development of an innovative tool that has already been exported to other cities to safely manage large events through security cameras that detect incidents and use anti-panic lights thanks to the application of artificial intelligence.

All these policies articulated by the Seville City Office are made visible in a centre called Smart Tourism Office, which is located in the conference centre, an office that includes a space for entrepreneurship and training in sustainable urban tourism and which is occupied by relevant companies in the sector where a tourism intelligence system is being tested that analyses data from multiple sources to find out what is in demand and what visitors’ habits are.

In addition, in conjunction with Segittur, this department has specialised in the analysis of tourist flows, applying innovative technologies and real governance in the analysis and management of the challenge. In parallel, it is also working on an ITD training project for the entire local ecosystem and on several knowledge transfer projects with universities and companies, providing technological support for R&D&I projects as well as specific projects, especially developed by the Smart Tourism Office. Sevilla City Office has also designed an agora dedicated to training and reflection on sustainable urban tourism, the Smart Tourism Space located in Fibes.

Four large stages and an extensive programme for the whole year

Seville has prepared a wide-ranging programme distributed over four main spaces: the new Magallanes Centre for Cultural Industries in the Royal Artillery Factory (which will bring together the part of the programme related to heritage, culture and creative industries), Sevilla Futura in the old Renfe warehouses in San Jerónimo (the venue for the innovation and digitalisation events), the Cartuja Qanat space in the Science and Technology Park on Isla de la Cartuja (where the events related to sustainability will be held) and Fibes (which will host the big events such as the fourth edition of the Tourism Innovation Summit). In addition to the activities at these venues, there will be other activities in the city’s public spaces that will involve the public and promotional activities.

The city already has a calendar of activities and events that will not only include major events related to tourism and sustainability in the city but also others created specifically for the European Capital. One of them will take place outside the city, and will bring together in Brussels during the European Week of Cities and Regions the previous European capitals of smart tourism and other invited cities in a round table on smart tourism.

The European Commission initiative is supported by the COSME programme to help businesses and authorities improve their economic environment and is the result of a preparatory action proposed by the European Parliament.

Seville presents itself as an established tourist city that has been welcoming visitors since the 19th century: the fourth capital of Spain, with a strong identity, a recognised cultural heritage, an envied lifestyle, one of the largest historic centres in Europe and protected by three Unesco World Heritage declarations, universal festivals such as Easter and the Feria, the birthplace of flamenco and the largest concentration of service companies in Andalusia.

But also as a city where one out of every four Sevillians lives from tourism and which is committed to a sustainable urban model as a priority to guarantee a balance between visitors and residents. A challenge that can be measured, as the European Commission has done, through four concepts that bring together all the reasons why Seville deserves the title of European Capital of Smart Tourism: accessibility, sustainability, digitalisation and a commitment to historical heritage and creativity.