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• A sustainable guide to the city
  San Sebastian has created a guide designed to help visitors contribute to the sustainability of the destination and the city. By inviting its visitors to read the “My Guide to be a Donostiarra (True Local)”, San Sebastian is inviting the locals to participate in keeping the city a sustainable destination and ensuring that the responsibility for this is a shared commitment by all. The guide comprises 6 best practices for visitors to follow while they are staying in or visiting the city and range from inviting visitors to learning the langue with some quick and easy phrases to encouraging the use of public transport while in San Sebastian.Find out more at: https://www.sansebastianturismoa.eus/en/come/quality-destination
• Horta à Porta for a better quality of life
  Promoting the population’s quality of life through good agricultural practices is what the initiative Horta à Porta aims for. This project does not only encourage the creation of dynamic green spaces, but also promotes increased contact with nature and healthy habits without forgetting the reduction of waste. Horta à Porta also introduces organic farming as a form of production in which neither insecticides nor fertilizers are used, facilitating the creation of a balanced ecosystem.Find out more at: https://www.cm-matosinhos.pt/servicos-municipais/ambiente/horta-a-porta
• Sustainable choices for a sustainable stay
  With a humorous approach, the “Sustainable Copenhagen” campaign seeks to motivate Copenhagen’s visitors to take care of the city and make sustainable choices during their stay. The campaign consists of 10 simple tips and tricks on how to make ‘little changes for a big impact’. The campaign encourages visitors to travel by bike or to use public transport, drink tap water and reuse water bottles, eat locally, shop sustainably and get off the beaten track.Find out more at: https://www.wonderfulcopenhagen.com/convention-bureau/copenhagen/sustainable-copenhagen
• How to prevent flooding in a sustainable manner
  The MOSE system that has been implemented may at first glance appear to be a smart solution to a particularly Venetian problem, but it can have application across Europe and the world. To protect the city of Venice the unique architectural and environmental heritage the Experimental Electromechanical Module (MOSE System) operates to protect the city from high water and from the tides. The system can protect Venice and the lagoon from tides up to 3 meters high and from a sea-level rise up to 60cm expected in the next century. The MOSE flood gate was raised in 2020 and since then, Venice has no longer suffered flooding from tides exceeding 110cm. Find out more at: https://www.mosevenezia.eu/project/?lang=en
• Coastline sustainability at the center of responsible maritime tourism
  València participates in the MITOMED project, a project that aims to improve the development of sustainable and responsible coastal and maritime tourism in the Mediterranean and is based on the following actions: Developing a system of tourism data indicators to measure the sustainability of tourism activities and their social and economic results and impacts; Promoting social dialogue between stakeholders; Creating the Green Beach model, a tool for local authorities and beach operators that helps them make decisions about the sustainable management of beaches; Developing an integrated management model of coastal and maritime tourism.Find out more at: https://fundacion.visitvalencia.com/en/sustainability/projects/mitomed
• Adopt a tree
  Every year, Athens plants approximately 600 trees that need watering 3-4 times per week so that they survive, but 10%-40% of these trees die because of high temperatures. The city has begun to invest in proper maintenance of trees to protect them from weather events and to increase their environmental benefits. Athens created a map with the participation of residents that shows the coordinates of all the city’s trees and their characteristics to help design the most efficient and effective ways of maintaining the trees. Additionally, the Adopt-a-Tree program helps residents keep a schedule of when trees are watered to help them survive. Through the Novoville app, people can find a tree and commit to keeping it healthy by watering it.Learn more about ‘Adopt a Tree’ initiative here https://novoville.com/adopt-a-tree/
• The project “Street moves”: Encouraging interaction
  In an ever more densely populated city, public space is becoming increasingly important. With the help of interactive construction kits like “Street moves”, Helsingborg is testing different solutions and transforming a street by creating space for more varied activities like playgrounds, outdoor gyms, plant cultivation. Simultaneously, the project brings more life to a street by enabling the formation of social meeting points. More and more people, forgoing cars and choosing alternative transport methods, give the city greater room to explore how the streets of the future might look like. This idea is being tested right now on a street in Helsingborg where space has been set aside for seating, bike parking, greenery and lighting. This creates a new urban landscape putting people at its centre which in the long run encourages interaction between residents and visitors and creates an even more authentic experience that visitors want from a destination. The project is a collaboration between the Vinnova project Street Moves, Helsingborg municipality and Arkdes.Find out more at: https://innovation.helsingborg.se/initiativ/street-moves/
• Be.Long project
  The Be.Long project addresses foreign and offsite students, smart workers, start uppers, temporary residents and seeks to engender a sense of “belonging” to the city. The project aims to repopulate the historic centre with the next generation of residents and medium- to long-term rentals. The initiative will also act as a data gathering exercise to monitor the long-term rental market in the city centre. Although overseas students form a considerable segment of the target audience, the platform has also been conceived as a tool applicable to start-up workers and temporary citizens/workers who come to the city for a finite length of time. It is also aimed at smart workers and digital nomads, became more relevant with the Covid-19. Surveys suggest that the possibilities afforded by remote working have prompted 37% of the world’s workforce to consider moving location. Destination Florence is keen to promote Florence as a smart destination for these new mobile breeds of employee.Find out more at: https://belong.destinationflorence.com/en/
• The Green Conference and Event Handbook
  VisitAarhus, is certified as a ‘Green Tourism Organisation’ and around 70% of all hotels in Aarhus already hold an official, international eco-certification, such as Green Key and Nordic Eco- Label, to protect the environment within requirements that entail reducing energy and water use, CO2 emissions and waste generated. Thanks to this proactive approach to sustainability, Aarhus has capable of successfully host high-profile events such as the launch of the Michelin Guide Nordic Countries in 2019 in an environmental-friendly way. “The Green Conference and Event Handbook” offers checklists and guidance from Aarhus University and the VisitAarhus Convention Bureau on planning any event in the city and, thanks to these practices, the city gained spot in the ‘Top 100’ on the highly recognized ranking by the International Congress & Convention Association (ICCA).Find out more at: https://www.visitaarhus.dk/sites/visitaarhusconvention.com/files/2019-10/The-Green-Conference-and-Event-Handbook.pdf
• A city for environmental-friendly events
  The BCB helps event organisers create a positive impact on the environment (carbon footprint calculation, reduction, and compensation), on society (partnerships proposed with a panel of 35 local associations) and on the economy (working with our ambassadors to attract conventions relating to our local areas of expertise). In 2021, 9 conventions are being planned (51,850 convention days, generating an estimated €15 million local profit), thanks to the ambassadors of ‘Le Club des Ambassadeurs de Bordeaux’ (350 members). Finally, a local measure was enacted in 2018 to regulate the phenomenon of collaborative platforms (a maximum of 120 days per year for private rental, compulsory online declaration), spreading the presence of tourists across the territory and reducing the strains on real estate. 726 accounts were closed between 2018 and 2019. Find out more at: https://congress.bordeaux-tourism.co.uk
• “Kombilösung”
  The “Kombilösung” is the inner-city streetcar tunnel starting in 2021 and offers further incentives for residents and visitors to switch to public transport. Gas and electric-powered vehicles are already being tested in bus operations, and targeted investments are being made in research into autonomous driving. The area-wide connection to the Stadtmobil car-sharing platform - where Karlsruhe is number one nationwide with almost 15,000 participants - and the kvv.nextbike rental bike system encourage citizens and visitors to use resources sparingly. The planned linking of tourist offers with the regiomove mobility network creates incentives for locals and visitors to organize their stay in Karlsruhe and discover the surrounding area. Find out more at: https://www.diekombiloesung.de/ and https://www.regiomove.de/
• Metrominuto Tour and Maps
  Metrominuto Genova is a map like that of public transport designed for pedestrian routes, in which the most significant places are represented as stops on various pedestrian lines connected to a network. Genoa has implemented this map to rethink the way of understanding travel, the relationship with private vehicles, the relationship between the road and the urban fabric, creating the opportunity to discover and rediscover the Superba in unexpected ways with pedestrian paths. The aim is to show users how convenient it is to leave vehicles at home and to walk to destinations, without having to worry about traffic or parking and to enjoy the beauty of the city. Find out more at: https://www.visitgenoa.it/en/node/28795
• Gaziantep Card mobile application as means of support for disabled citizens using public transportation:
  With the Gaziantep Card mobile application, the city is supporting its disabled citizens by guiding them to stops/stations, with audio and visual assistance. When at the stop, disabled people can send information to the vehicle of the transport line they want to use via Gaziantep Card mobile application which then notifies the vehicle driver that a disabled passenger is waiting at that stop. Moreover, an external announcement system installed on all municipal buses ensures that disabled citizens waiting at the stop have access to the vehicle they aim to use without any help as it reads the line code at each stop.Find out more at: https://gaziantepkart.com.tr
• KIMAP - navigation app for disabled people
  The historic centre of Florence presents some objective difficulties for visitors with reduced mobility (especially in the oldest area of the city: narrow pavements, cobblestone pavements, uneven surfaces). In recent years the city has provided a kit (IT/EN) to facilitate and encourage tourism for disabled people which also includes the Kimap APP, which can be downloaded for free. Kimap allows users with mobility difficulties to find the most accessible and suitable path to reach destinations. The app provides 4 tour guides with historical-artistic itineraries connected to city mapping in open data for barrier-free tourism to explore the city in complete autonomy. The maps are constantly updated thanks to modern techniques for detecting road surfaces providing real-time information and optimizing navigation for people with wheelchairs, electric hand-bikes and scooters, family with baby strollers (updating accessible routes automatically, time and distance, providing voice assistant). Moreover, while used, Kimap automatically detects data and collects inputs from the users’ community. Bottom-up actions to co-create accessibility mapping by using information from the users, who become themselves data’ collectors, ensuring an easy and timely update with reasonable investment. In addition, crowd-mapping events permit the involvement of different mappers including associations and committees of people with disabilities in order to cover a large part of the city (e.g. crowd-mapping experience in the Anconella Park led to the identification of the interventions improving the accessibility to the area). Find out more at: https://kimap.it/en/
• Accessibility as comprehensive as never before
  The València Accessible Guide features all the information on the accessibility of hotels, restaurants, museums, monuments and touristic services throughout all of València. The guide has been assembled in an easy to access and understand manner so that all visitors have the opportunity to discover and plan their trip to València that best suits their needs and ensures that their visit to the city is as comprehensive as it should be. The guide is available online and free to download for anyone who is interested and/or planning a trip to València. The guide is a bit step towards offering a detailed assortment of information for potential visitors and goes a long way in collecting the relevant information to ensure an accessible visit to the city.Find out more at: https://www.visitvalencia.com/en/valencia-accesible
• Accessible Athens for All
  In partnership with the organisation Me Alla Matia (Through the Eyes of Others), ‘This is Athens’ - the city’s visitors’ guide, is making stories of adventure, hidden destinations, and schedule of events accessible to all visitors. The team created an accessibility guide that raises awareness about places in the historic city centre that are technically accessible but cannot be reached from the surrounding area. Guidance photos show uneven surfaces, ramps, and barriers. This process helped the municipality to recognize the urgency and quickly deliver fully accessible routes by building ramps and removing barriers. The guide is published for residents and visitors in Greek and English, with four routes designed for blind pedestrians and four designed for users of wheelchairs. Find out more at: https://www.thisisathens.org/whats-new-december-2021-accessible-athens
• LGBTQ+ friendly
  Accessibility is also about inclusion and Aarhus’ city council has a strong focus on making Aarhus a better and more attractive city and a better and more attractive workplace for LGBTQ+ persons. As part of its commitment to LGBTQ+ community, Aarhus is member Rainbow Cities Network, actively working to improve conditions for LGBTQ+ citizen. Aarhus also hosts ‘KØN – Gender Museum Denmark’ presenting the cultural history between genders, equality, body, and sexuality.Find out more at: https://www.rainbowcities.com/cities/aarhus/
• Overcoming historic and unequal architecture
  Venice has a unique urban landscape that is dominated by the numerous bridges dotting the city centre allowing visitors and residents alike to explore and experience the city. By creating accessible bridges, the municipality has started to adapt this architectural barrier to accommodate all visitors with limited mobility. These accessible bridges have been equipped with handrails and a facilitated step ramp for ease of access both to the resident and the visitors.Find out more at: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Ponte-delle-Sechere-an-example-of-a-fully-accessible-bridge-In-this-case-the-bridge-has_fig5_338854836
• User-friendly and disabled-friendly transportation
  For physical accessibility, Ljubljana’s city buses are especially user-friendly for people in wheelchairs, with other disabilities and children in strollers. Besides installed ramps and reader boards on most of the buses, audio announcements help tourists and visitors to identify their stop. Additionally, six electric vehicles (“Kavalirs”) have been introduced in the city center for the elderly and disabled and offer free rides. An emission-free urban electric train also enables disabled people to travel to main attractions while listening to audio guides. The latest addition to a user-friendly experience for people in wheelchairs is the free rental of two electric attachments allowing a more comfortable sightseeing experience. Attachments can be rented at the Tourist Information Centre (TIC). This is an innovative service since TIC is the first tourist information centre in Europe that offers this option.Find out more at: https://www.visitljubljana.com/en/visitors/travel-information/essentials/accessibility-of-ljubljana-by-wheelchair/and https://www.visitljubljana.com/en/visitors/travel-information/getting-around/kavalir-getting-around-the-city-centre-by-electric-car/ and https://www.lpp.si/en/urban-electric-train
• Exploration made barrier free
  The city has introduced an “itinerary without barriers”, an itinerary to explore and experience the city specifically designed for wheelchair users visiting Venice. These itineraries take the visitor throughout Venice along specifically designed and accessible routes for wheelchair users offer suggestions on visiting the city despite the obstacles that it’s the city with all its bridges entail. These routes and itineraries have been designed by the Office for the Elimination of Architectural Barriers of the Municipality of Venice and have been created in collaboration with resident with limited mobility living in the city. Through this collaborative process, Venice has taken the residential experience as a platform for creating a better tourist experience for everyone. Find out more at: https://www.veneziaunica.it/en/content/itineraries-without-barriers
• Bordeaux, Destination for all
  In Bordeaux, inclusion is at the heart of public policies, so that the region is accessible for all. Bordeaux ‘Tourism and Handicap’ certified routes are accessible for those with mobility or hearing disabilities, and four map displays for the visually impaired have been installed. The Bordeaux Tourist Office has also developed a dedicated guide for those with disabilities and contains all the services available to people with reduced mobility. The guide is regularly updated, considering the feedback and needs of users. Additionally, the ‘City and Handicap’ task force has helped to make major cultural events such as the Bordeaux Wine Festival and the Bordeaux River Festival accessible for visitors with special needs. The municipality has paid particular attention to adapting sites where these events take place with e.g., access ramps, adapted sanitary facilities, zones reserved exclusively for use by persons of reduced mobility and human assistance.Find out more at: https://www.bordeaux-tourism.co.uk/accessibility
• Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen
  is the world’s first publicly accessible art storage facility. The world-famous art collection at the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen consists of more than 151,000 objects. The museum is home to Rotterdam’s cultural heritage but with only 8% of its collect available to the public, the remaining 92% remain in storage. In order to break with this traditional policy of concealment that most museums around the world must adhere to due to space or other factors, the museum is making the compete collection visible to the public. By opening the first publicly accessible museum deport in the world, Rotterdam is ensuring that visitors will get an unobstructed behind the scenes view of the rest of the collection along with what goes into its preservation and maintenance of the artefacts and artworks on display. Find out more at: https://www.boijmans.nl/en/depot
• Launched in February 2020
  is a disruptive concept of modern museum pedagogy. Designed as a metro line, uniting 17 stations and interconnecting 5 thematic axes (sound, nature, material, liquid and romanticism), the “City Museum” has become a fascinating and new form of interactive museum experience. It incorporates archaeological sites, water places, historic houses, libraries, industrial spaces and offers an interesting, new, and innovative way of enhancing the museum concept. Find out more at: https://www.porto.pt/en/news/the-city-museum-in-porto-is-reshaping-the-concept-of-city-integrated-culture
• The city has developed a promotional project called KulKul Moment
  to make a city experience complete by combining culture and cuisine. This is a moment locals and visitors can only experience in Ljubljana. With stories that connect culture and cuisine, Ljubljana encourages people to visit cultural institutions and to find out the story behind the local culinary highlight in connection to culture. The city therefore published the first story in March 2021 about Emona slice and the visiting of Emona Park in Ljubljana aiming to increase the visibility of cultural institutions and works.Find out more at: https://www.visitljubljana.com/en/visitors/explore/things-to-do/kulkul-trenutek/
• There is a strong tradition of outdoor bathing in Helsingborg
  stretching all the way back to the beginning of the 18th century. Helsingborg’s municipality has introduced an event called “Outdoor Bathing Week” to protect its cultural heritage, to preserve its tradition and to offer visitors an authentic experience. During this week, a programme with various activities is offered at three baths. They range from traditional outdoor bathing to the German sauna tradition of “aufguss” and lectures about Helsingborg’s bathing traditions and cold-water bathing’s benefits for the health of the body and soul. Helsingborg’s ambition is to attract more and more visitors with the city’s large number of outdoor baths and the growing trend of cold-water bathing together with the desire for authentic experiences. Find out more at: https://visithelsingborg.com/kallbad/?lang=en