In this episode of the EU Smart Tourism Podcast, celebrate the winners of the 2026 European Capital & Green Pioneer of Smart Tourism - Tampere (Finland) and Dubrovnik (Croatia). We take a closer look at these two destinations and their shared commitment to innovation, sustainability, and long-term resilience.

Misa Labarile, Policy Officer at the European Commission, DG MOVE, and representatives of the winning cities discuss how innovative tourism practices have led to their success in the competition and the impact of smart tourism on the cities.

Speakers:

• Heli Jokela: Marketing and Communications Director, Visit Tampere, Finland
• Mato Franković: Mayor of Dubrovnik, Croatia

Host: Misa Labarile, Policy Officer of the European Commission, DG MOVE

Find out more about smart tourism and the #EUTourismCapital and #EUGreenPioneer competitions on our website: https://smart-tourism-capital.ec.europa.eu/

Smart Gets You Further – Building Trust in Online Reviews with the new EU Code of Conduct

Online reviews shape almost every travel decision we make. But with their growing influence, concerns about their trust and reliability have also grown.

In this episode of the EU Smart Tourism Podcast, we look at how the European Union is tackling these challenges through the EU Code of Conduct for online reviews and ratings for tourism accommodation. We explore why this collaborative framework was created, how it works in practice and what it means for the future of tourism in Europe.

Speakers:

• Thomas Schumi: Policy Officer, European Commission (DG MOVE)
• Marine Thizon: Senior Public Affairs Manager, HOTREC (Association of hotels, restaurants and cafés in Europe)
• Fabrizio Orlando: Director of Government Relations and Public Affairs, Tripadvisor

Host: Misa Labarile, Policy Officer of the European Commission, DG MOVE.

Find out more about smart tourism and the #EUTourismCapital and #EUGreenPioneer competitions at the initiative website: https://smart-tourism-capital.ec.europa.eu/

Smart Gets You Further – Tourism & Quality of Life

In this episode of the EU Smart Tourism Podcast, we explore how tourism can be a pathway to happiness and higher quality of life. Misa Labarile, Policy Officer at the European Commission, DG MOVE, together with speakers from Finland and Slovenia, discuss how travel is not only about sightseeing, but also about creating meaningful experiences that foster joy and fulfilment. We also take a look at how tourism is closely tied to the well-being of local communities and how the quality of life of residents and visitor satisfaction go hand in hand.

Speakers:

• Heli Jimenez: Senior Director, International Marketing, Business Finland

• Dejan Ristić: Project Manager, Ljubljana Tourism

Host: Misa Labarile, Policy Officer of the European Commission, DG MOVE.

Find out more about smart tourism and the #EUTourismCapital and #EUGreenPioneer competitions at the initiative website: https://smart-tourism-capital.ec.europa.eu/