Ibiza has reached the final eight destinations in the European Commission's 2027 European Capitals of Tourism competition, advancing to the next stage of a new European tourism award focused on sustainable tourism and green transition.

The island is competing in the category for destinations with between 25,000 and 100,000 inhabitants.

The European Commission selected eight destinations from 40 applications submitted by municipalities in 17 countries. Ibiza is joined in the category by Calais in France, Calvià in Spain, Geestland in Germany, Nova Gorica in Slovenia, Sandanski in Bulgaria, Selçuk in Türkiye and Zadar in Croatia.

Ibiza among eight shortlisted destinations

Ibiza's selection places it in the final stage of the competition before the winner is chosen.

The shortlist was announced following an evaluation by an independent panel of experts. The assessment considered areas including sustainability, accessibility, digitalisation, cultural heritage, creativity and local talent.

The European Commission expanded the shortlist from four to eight destinations in each category after several applications received the same evaluation score and the overall quality of the submissions was considered high.

What Ibiza's application highlights

The European Commission's profile of Ibiza highlights a number of measures and policies included in the city's application.

Environmental initiatives include protection of Posidonia oceanica meadows, ecological mooring buoys and a marine restoration project.

The city's submission also highlights efforts related to local employment, vocational training, cultural and sports tourism, digital management of tourist flows and measures intended to improve the quality of life for residents.

The European Commission specifically describes Ibiza's approach as an effort to move towards a more sustainable and responsible tourism model.

A new European tourism competition

The 2027 award has a different structure from previous European tourism competitions.

The European Commission has brought together the former European Capital of Smart Tourism and European Green Pioneer of Smart Tourism competitions under the new European Capitals of Tourism title.

For destinations between 25,000 and 100,000 inhabitants, the competition is focused on recognising successful strategies for sustainable tourism through green transition practices.

The winning destination must also present a programme for the year in which it holds the title.

Ibiza will present its candidature in Brussels

The eight shortlisted destinations will now move to the second stage of the evaluation.

Representatives will present their candidatures before the European jury in Brussels on November 18 and 19, 2026.

Following those presentations, the jury will select the winner of the European Capital of Tourism 2027 title in the smaller-destination category. A second winner will be selected from the category for destinations with more than 100,000 inhabitants.

Two Spanish destinations remain in the running

Spain has two destinations in the final eight of Ibiza's category: Ibiza and Calvià.

The other six shortlisted destinations are Calais, Geestland, Nova Gorica, Sandanski, Selçuk and Zadar.

What happens next

Ibiza's selection does not yet mean the city has won the 2027 title.

The next stage is the presentation before the European jury in November, after which the winning destinations will be announced.

For Ibiza, the shortlist provides a further opportunity to present its approach to sustainability and tourism management at European level, with its application focusing on environmental protection, accessibility, digitalisation, cultural heritage, local talent and measures intended to balance tourism with residents' quality of life.