March the 28th, 2026 – Dubrovnik has been handed the European Commissions (EC) highest award for smart and green tourism. The city has come a very long way from being the poster child of overtourism not long ago.
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the European Commission’s highest award for small tourist destinations, leaders in sustainable and smart tourism, “European Green Pioneer of Smart Tourism 2026”, was presented to the City of Dubrovnik on Thursday.
Dubrovnik was awarded this title back in November last year in competition with seven other European destinations: Geestland from Germany, Ibiza (Spain), Laois from Ireland, Mariagerfjord and Rebild from Denmark, Marmaris from Turkey and Tartu from Estonia.
In the category of large tourist destinations with over 100,000 inhabitants, the award went to Tampere from Finland.
Dubrovnik Mayor Mato Franković recalled the year 2017 and the beginning of his mandate, when he was greeted with the incredibly bad news that Dubrovnik had been recognised as an example of mass and excessive tourism that should be avoided in the future. Dubrovnik then became the world’s example of overtourism and what not to do. Things then rapidly altered with plenty of effort and hard work.
“We recognised the problem and concluded that the problem is not in the numbers themselves. They actually mean nothing. What’s absolutely crucial is the arrangement of those numbers in the hour, day, week, month and year. Everyone is welcome to come to Dubrovnik, as long as they come here according to the established rules and regulations. There’s no sustainability without clear rules. Only with clear rules can we keep our cities alive,” stated Franković.
Franković was presented with the award by European Commission representative Andreea Staicu, who said that Dubrovnik’s experience is a fantastic contribution to the EU’s joint work on sustainability across the board.
“You’ve shown vision, ambition and commitment with which you won over our jury. There is no doubt that in 2026, Dubrovnik will be a leader in providing a more accessible and sustainable experience for visitors, all while putting its residents first. This title is awarded to destinations with excellent results in sustainable tourism, and Dubrovnik has more than exceeded that,” stated Staicu.
The European Green Pioneer of Smart Tourism Award is otherwise the successor to the European Destination of Excellence (EDEN) competition launched by the European Commission back in 2007. Before Dubrovnik, the title was won by Grosseto in Italy in 2024 and the Spanish city of Benidorm, which has a particularly poor reputation, in 2025.
The Green Pioneer of Smart Tourism award recognises European cities that excel in sustainability, digital transformation, smart mobility, energy efficiency and the preservation of cultural and natural heritage.
