Named European Capital of Smart Tourism 2020, (joint with Gothenburg, Sweden), the city of Málaga in Spain showed exemplary achievements in all categories of the awards and was recognised for its capacity as a role model for other smart tourism destinations. So what is Smart Tourism, and what did Málaga do to earn its 2020 title?
1. What is Smart Tourism?
Smart tourism is about responding to new challenges and demands within the fast and ever changing sector of tourism. This includes the evolution of digital tools, products and services, providing equal opportunities and access for all visitors, sustainable development of the local area as well as supporting creative industries, local talent and heritage.
2. The award
The European Capital of Smart Tourism award recognises outstanding achievements in smart tourism in European cities. It is an initiative of the European Union which aims to raise awareness about smart tourism tools, measures, and projects implemented in cities across four award categories: Sustainability, Accessibility, Digitalisation, and Cultural Heritage and Creativity. Tourist destinations showing excellence in these areas therefore compete and are rewarded accordingly. The 2020 competition received submissions from 35 cities in 17 EU member countries, and in addition to Málaga and Gothenburg winning overall, four cities received 2020 European Smart Tourism Awards for their achievements in each category:
- Breda (The Netherlands) in Accessibility
- Gothenburg (Sweden) in Sustainability
- Ljubljana (Slovenia) in Digitalisation
- Karlsruhe (Germany) in Cultural Heritage and Creativity
New #⃣ sculptures have gone up in Málaga🇪🇸 and Gothenburg🇸🇪 to celebrate their status as 2020 European Capitals of #SmartTourism. Learn more about these cities and the #EUTourismCapital initiative here: https://t.co/cOrS9zwIaN pic.twitter.com/YzbGMX4I47
— Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship & SMEs (@EU_Growth) July 8, 2020
3. How Málaga earned its title
Málaga has long been incorporating the concepts of sustainability, innovation and culture into their planning and constantly encouraging exchanges between the government’s tourism services and the visitors to enable the city to do more to meet their needs. All this, as well as the following specific improvements, contributed to its win:
- Sustainability
With over 40km of cycling lanes and over 20 public bike hire rental stations, exploring Málaga by bike is easy and accessible, making the city a greener and more sustainable destination. Visitors can also discover the city’s coastline this way, which includes 5 beaches. The city also has a lot of green areas; it has almost 50 hectares of protected natural areas, 60 hectares of botanical gardens and more than 400 hectares of green space. It has carried out important work to revitalise many of these natural spaces, such as wetlands, and created ideal spots for outdoors activities like bird watching and nature walks.
The city has also installed public LED lighting to save energy, smart watering systems for parks and gardens to save water, and introduced an Air Quality Sectoral Plan to reduce air pollution, monitor pollen levels and improve noise quality. It has also upgraded its street cleaning equipment and improved its waste separation in the city centre.
🌳La naturaleza se integra con los elementos de la ciudad en pleno corazón de Málaga. #MálagaCiudadGenial #Turismo pic.twitter.com/gW08E9sv97
— Málaga Ciudad Genial (@turismodemalaga) November 13, 2020
- Accessibility
Málaga has put a particular focus on accessibility by implementing the several local initiatives, some examples are:
- Nearly all public buses in Málaga have a dual-ramp for better access and each one has voice and double-screen systems.
- Visitors with visual impairments can download the EMT App where they can get tickets, travel information and special needs assistance, and can request a stop by saying their destination out loud.
- Beaches are fully accessible, offering reserved parking, access ramps, concrete walkways, amphibious chairs, accessible changing rooms, seating areas and support assistants on hand to provide help with swimming in the sea.
- Digitalisation
From initiatives such as the EMT app mentioned above, to interactive cultural spaces, Málaga has shown that it is using digitalisation to improve all aspects of tourism in the city.
You’ll agree with us that Málaga is a city of museums, and maybe the fact that Pablo Picasso was born there is no coincidence… Here you have a list of all the museums you have to visit! #VisitSpain #Málaga #SpainArts @viveandalucia @turismodemalaga
— Spain (@spain) May 27, 2019
- Cultural Heritage and Creativity
Although Málaga used to be seen as more of a ‘sun, sea and sand’ destination, it has invested heavily in cultural attractions in the past years. Impressively, it has increased the amount of museums in the city from just 4 to 37 in the last two decades, with the city’s exhibition space going from 400m2 to 35.000m2. Many old buildings and their surroundings were transformed into vibrant, cultural spaces, such as Málaga’s old tobacco factory and its Tabacalera neighbourhood, and Soho, the city’s art district. It has also cooperated with local businesses to provide innovative itineraries for visitors, such as the Picasso Trail, which introduces visitors to the city’s most famous prodigy, Pablo Picasso, and the White Night Festival (La Noche en Blanco), which offers 350 activities across 112 different spaces organised by local communities.
Through these initiatives and transformations, Málaga has successfully reinvented itself from a city known for its sunny beaches to a city of art and culture, a lovely destination for tourists and certainly a ‘smart’ one.
