Helsinki and Lyon have been selected as European Capitals of Smart Tourism in 2019 , the first edition of the EU 's competition . Of the 20 cities which applied to compete , the Finnish and French cities came out on top because of their commitments to four tourism - generated categories : accessibility , sustainability , digitalisation , and cultural diversity and creativity . As prizes , the two cities will receive expert communication and branding support , promotional videos and activities , along with a purpose - built hotel . Meanwhile , the individual winners of the four categories were announced alongside Helsinki and Lyon at the European Tourism Day event on 15 November 2018 .
Helsinki and Lyon have been selected as European Capitals of Smart Tourism in 2019, the first edition of the EU's competition. Of the 38 cities which applied to compete, the Finnish and French cities came out on top because of their commitments to four tourism-generated categories: accessibility, sustainability, digitalisation, and cultural heritage and creativity. As prizes, the two cities will receive expert communication and branding support, promotional videos and activities, along with a purpose-built sculpture. Meanwhile, the individual winners of the four categories were featured alongside Helsinki and Lyon at the European Tourism Day event on 7 November 2018.