Konya Makes 2025 European Capital of Smart Tourism Award’s Shortlist

Konya, Türkiye’s central province of culture, science and commerce, has been shortlisted for the 2025 European Capital of Smart Tourism award. The city’s inclusion on the list highlights its commitment to integrating technology and sustainability into its tourism sector, boosting its appeal on a global scale.

The European Capital of Smart Tourism is a European Union competition that recognises the outstanding achievements of cities as tourism destinations in four categories: sustainability, accessibility, digitalisation, and cultural heritage-creativity. The award also aims to strengthen business connections among smart tourism destinations and facilitate sharing of best practices, boosting innovation in European tourism.

Konya stands out in the 2025 European Capital of Smart Tourism Award, particularly for the “Smart City” applications implemented by the Metropolitan Municipality and their adaptation to tourism. Both domestic and international tourists can plan their trips in the city using these applications that can be downloaded from mobile app stores.

Konya: Where History, Spirituality and Rich Cuisine Meet

Konya, the largest province in Türkiye in terms of geographical surface area, is also one of the country’s oldest continuously inhabited cities. The city, where the first urbanisation and the first animal domestication took place worldwide, has been home to various civilisations since Çatalhöyük, one of the Neolithic Sites on the UNESCO World Heritage List. 

As the capital of the Seljuks from the 12th to the 13th centuries, Konya ranks as one of the great cultural centres of Türkiye. During that period of cultural, political, and religious growth, the mystic Mevlana Celaleddin-i Rumi, settled in Konya. After his death, a Sufi order known in the West as the Mevlevi Order, or Whirling Dervishes, was established around his teachings. Today, thousands of people visit the city yearly to experience its spirituality. 

Additionally, Konya is one of the gastronomic cities in Türkiye, with its rich cuisine. Many traditional dishes reflect the city’s deep-rooted culinary heritage, from etli ekmek (a thin, crispy meat and bread dish) to okra soup.

European Capital of Smart Tourism to be Promoted

The EU has chosen the finalists for the 2025 European Capital of Smart Tourism competition from a pool of 21 candidates across ten countries. The alphabetically listed finalists include Brussels (Belgium), Genoa (Italy), Konya (Türkiye), Lahti (Finland), Lviv (Ukraine), Porto (Portugal), and Turin (Italy).

The finalists will present their proposals to the European Jury on 26-27 November 2024. After evaluating these proposals, the jury will choose the “2025 European Capital of Smart Tourism”. 

• The winning city will receive comprehensive promotion and branding support. The award also includes:
• The production of a promotional video.
• The installation of a hashtag sculpture in the city.
• Custom-designed promotional campaigns to enhance visibility both at the EU and global levels.