How EU destinations are overcoming challenges

and driving tourism resilience together

July 22, 2025

The way people travel is evolving. The desire to explore the world is not new, but the desire to minimise environmental impact while doing so is.

At the same time, many destinations face challenges – a lot of them shared – such as unbalanced tourism, adapting to climate change, and managing limited resources. Addressing these issues requires collaboration, knowledge exchange, and coordinated strategies – a core focus of the European Union.

The ‘Sustainable EU Tourism – Shaping the Tourism of Tomorrow’ initiative aims at making EU tourism more sustainable, resilient, and beneficial for local communities and the environment alike. Built on the principle that lasting sustainability requires collective action, the project emphasises strong collaboration at multiple levels. This means destinations working together on initiatives that protect natural and cultural heritage, while ensuring economic benefits for local communities.

Knowledge exchange and collaboration: the way forward for resilient tourism

Running from 2023 to 2025, the ‘Sustainable EU Tourism – Shaping the Tourism of Tomorrow’ project supports the EU’s ‘Transition Pathway for Tourism’, a roadmap that helps tourism stakeholders adapt to the environmental, digital, and social challenges intrinsic to modern-day tourism. With over 200 European destinations participating in the project’s extensive research, it fosters knowledge exchange and EU-wide collaboration that promote the long-term sustainability of European tourism.

The Compilation of Best Practices is one of the initiative’s key achievements . Developed following a comprehensive survey, desk research, and in-depth interviews with destinations, it highlights concrete solutions used by 50 innovative destinations to tackle critical economic, environmental, governance and social tourism challenges.

Turin (Italy) and Benidorm (Spain) are standout examples from the participating destinations. Committed to both peer-to-peer learning and establishing themselves as sustainability leaders, Turin has been named the 2025 European Capital of Smart Tourism, and Benidorm the 2025 European Green Pioneer of Smart Tourism. With a strong focus on environmental preservation, Benidorm has rolled out advanced water management strategies, while visitors

can also use real-time beach monitoring apps to check beach capacity, weather updates and local events, reducing congestion and minimising environmental impact.

Turin, meanwhile, is redefining smart tourism through innovation and sustainability, offering AI-powered travel assistance, immersive cultural experiences, sustainable gastronomy options and a seamless, accessible visitor journey.

IMAGE: ZM Photo

Other examples showcased in the compilation include:

• Supporting local economies by integrating regional products into tourism, such as the Lika quality label (Croatia) for local food and crafts.
  
  
• Saarland’s (Germany) multi-stage climate protection strategy, which reduces emissions and safeguards biodiversity in tourism areas to restore and preserve natural ecosystems.
  
  
• Improving accessibility for all visitors, exemplified by Bordeaux (France), which has introduced barrier-free transport and tourism services.
  
  
• Malta’s use of AI and satellite data to manage tourism sustainably by monitoring environmental and social impacts.

The compilation provides a clear snapshot of the current EU tourism landscape. The valuable insights into various destinations’ solutions serve as a practical guide, inspiring and supporting others facing similar issues.

Other featured destinations have adopted energy-efficient transport services, digitalisation to optimise visitor distribution,

and circular economy approaches in hospitality.

In addition to research and best practices, the project also organised a series of twinning workshops, bringing together over 90 destinations from across Europe to discuss challenges, exchange experiences, and jointly develop and implement innovative solutions. The workshops led to networking opportunities and encouraged cooperation with a view to creating a more sustainable, resilient, and inclusive tourism industry.

IMAGE: DG MOVE

Get involved. Travel with purpose. Shape tomorrow.

Destinations play a decisive role in shaping the future of travel. But so do visitors. By making conscious choices, travellers can help make initiatives like ‘Sustainable EU Tourism’ a success.

Here are some practical tips for more sustainable and responsible travelling:

• Choose eco-certified accommodation – stay somewhere that prioritises sustainability. A great way to start is to look at EU Ecolabel or EMAS-certified accommodation!
  
  
• Opt for low-impact transport – travel by train or bus and use public transport or a bike when at a destinations.
  
  
• Support local businesses – buy from local artisans, eat at locally owned restaurants, and opt for experiences that directly benefit communities.
  
  
• Reduce waste – carry a reusable water bottle, avoid single-use plastics, and dispose of waste responsibly.
  
  
• Respect cultural and natural heritage – follow local guidelines, stick to marked trails, and avoid disturbing wildlife.
  
  
• Travel off-peak – visit destinations outside of peak seasons to help reduce crowding and to support local economies all year round.

For more inspiration on how to travel off-season, go offbeat, travel green and love local, have a look at the ‘Unlock an Unexpected Upgrade’ campaign, another EU co-funded initiative hosted on Visit Europe. The European Union remains committed to supporting sustainable and resilient tourism across Europe and beyond.

A few conscious choices can make tourism can a powerful driver of sustainability, helping Europe’s destinations stay vibrant and prosperous for generations to come.

To dive deeper into the Sustainable EU Tourism project, follow the initiative on LinkedIn and check out the various publications on the project’s webpage.