The island of Ibiza will compete in Brussels next November against seven other European municipalities for the title in the medium-sized cities category.
Ibiza has been shortlisted as one of 16 destinations selected by the European Commission to compete for the title of European Tourism Capital 2027. The island is sharing its bid with Calvià in one of the two categories of the competition, which is being held under a new format following the merger of the former European Capital of Tourism and European Green Pioneer of Smart Tourism awards.
An independent panel of experts assessed the applications submitted by municipalities from across Europe. The evaluation considered criteria including sustainability, accessibility and digitalisation, as well as support for cultural heritage, creativity and local talent.
The European Commission has this year increased the number of finalists from four to eight in each category. According to the European executive, the decision reflects the quality of the applications received and a tie between several of the cities competing for a place in the final.
Ibiza among eight finalists in the medium-sized cities category
The category for municipalities with between 25,000 and 100,000 inhabitants, which includes Ibiza, attracted 40 applications from 17 countries.
Alongside the two Balearic destinations, the finalists are Calais in France, Geestland in Germany, Nova Gorica in Slovenia, Sandanski in Bulgaria, Selçuk in Türkiye and Zadar in Croatia.
The second category is open to cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants. The competition received 43 applications from 18 countries in this section.
The eight finalists are Aalborg in Denmark, Braga in Portugal, Genoa in Italy, Konya in Türkiye, Ljubljana in Slovenia, Lviv in Ukraine, Salzburg in Austria and Sofia in Bulgaria.
The final decision will be announced in November
The final stage of the competition will take place in Brussels on 18 and 19 November. Delegations representing the 16 finalist cities will present their projects to the European jury.
Following the presentations, the European Commission will announce two winning cities, one in each category, which will receive the title of European Tourism Capital 2027.
The competition is open to municipalities in European Union member states, as well as municipalities in non-EU countries participating in the Single Market Programme.
