Overview
The European Commission’s 2025 report on the European Capital of Smart Tourism spotlights how accessibility is woven into Europe’s digital and physical tourism transformation. Generated for the Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport (DG MOVE) and published in early 2025, the document synthesizes best practices from cities across Europe that submitted applications for the 2025 award. Torino, Italy, was announced as the 2025 winner in November 2024, underscoring the city’s leadership in integrating accessibility with sustainability, digitalization, and cultural heritage. The report’s purpose is to share innovative measures, promote peer-to-peer learning, and accelerate the adoption of smart tourism tools across EU member states. It relies entirely on data cities provided in their applications and is designed to facilitate knowledge exchange rather than to present an official EC position (European Commission, 2025).
Context and scope
This ENAT Library item reproduces the EC’s 2025 collection of best practices, organized by category: Accessibility, Sustainability, Digitalisation, and Cultural Heritage and Creativity. Each category presents exemplary initiatives drawn from the cities’ submissions, illustrating how destinations are combining inclusive design with technology and smart management. The project is part of a broader EU effort to harmonize accessible tourism across the Union and to encourage shared learning among cities of different sizes and resources. The 30 MB PDF document, produced by Scholz & Friends Agenda Berlin GmbH European Office, serves as a practical resource for policymakers, tourism authorities, and practitioners seeking concrete, transferable approaches (European Commission, 2025).
What the report covers
- Methodology and data sources: The compilation is strictly derived from the applications cities filed for the 2025 competition. It reflects the cities’ own descriptions of their accessibility, digital tools, and tourism services, rather than external audits or independent verification.
- Structure and focus: The report presents best practices in five overarching areas: Accessibility, Sustainability, Digitalisation, Cultural Heritage and Creativity. Within each category, the authors showcase representative examples intended to inspire other destinations to replicate or adapt successful measures.
Why accessibility matters in smart tourism
Accessibility remains a foundational pillar of inclusive tourism. The report’s emphasis on accessibility dovetails with established international standards for digital content and services. In practical terms, destinations are encouraged to implement accessible online information, inclusive signage, accessible accommodation information, and staff training to assist visitors with disabilities. From a compliance perspective, aligning digital services with WCAG principles—perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust (POUR)—helps ensure that information and booking systems are usable by people with a range of abilities and assistive technologies. According to WCAG 2.2 guidance, web content should be navigable, legible, and navigable through assistive technologies, with options to adapt presentation and provide text alternatives for non-text content (W3C WCAG 2.2).
Legal and policy context in Europe
EU policy increasingly ties tourism development to accessibility obligations for public-facing digital and physical services. The Web Accessibility Directive (Directive 2016/2102) requires public sector bodies to make their websites and mobile apps accessible, aligning with WCAG success criteria, typically at AA level. While the 2025 report focuses on best practices from cities, its emphasis on accessible information and services complements these regulatory expectations and supports EU-wide goals of inclusive growth and travel for all (European Commission, 2025; European Union Web Accessibility Directive, 2016/2102).
Practical implications for professionals
- For businesses and tourism operators: Treat accessibility as a design parameter rather than an afterthought. Ensure your websites, booking engines, and self-service kiosks meet WCAG 2.2 AA criteria where possible, and provide alternative formats for essential information.
- For developers and product teams: Incorporate accessible components into digital platforms from the outset. Use semantic HTML, proper labeling, keyboard navigability, and ARIA when appropriate. Conduct routine accessibility audits and involve people with disabilities in testing.
- For accessibility professionals and policymakers: Leverage the report as a knowledge-sharing tool. Build internal playbooks that map each best-practice example to WCAG criteria and EU accessibility directives. Consider creating local peer-learning networks to foster ongoing improvement.
Key takeaways and how to apply them
The 2025 collection demonstrates how cities can combine accessibility with other smart-tourism objectives. While the report is not a standards advisory, it offers practical templates—such as accessible information hubs, inclusive design for digital services, and accessible cultural experiences—that can be adapted to different city sizes and resources. Because the data are city-submitted, readers should consider validating claims through independent audits where possible, while using the examples as a blueprint for action (European Commission, 2025).
Conclusion
The Torino-led 2025 smart tourism competition highlights that accessibility is not only a compliance concern but a driver of innovation, economic resilience, and visitor satisfaction. By sharing best practices across EU cities, the report supports a collaborative approach to building accessible, inclusive tourism ecosystems. For compliance professionals, developers, and city leaders, the document offers a structured reference to guide policy, product design, and program implementation in the pursuit of accessible travel for all (European Commission, 2025).
Notes on sources and citations
- European Commission, Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport (DG MOVE). Leading Examples of Practices in Europe from the 2025 European Capital of Smart Tourism Competition. Published 31 January 2025; Torino named 2025 winner in November 2024.
- ENAT Library: This item is hosted as a resource to promote accessible tourism best practices across Europe (ENAT, 2026).
- The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2. Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, Robust principles underpin digital accessibility best practices (W3C, WCAG 2.2).
- Web Accessibility Directive (Directive 2016/2102) – EU requirement for public sector websites and apps to meet accessibility standards, aligning with WCAG criteria (European Union).