Proof, Not Promises: Digital Trust for Sustainable Tourism (15.09.-19.11.2026)

The future of sustainable tourism needs more than good intentions.

Sustainability is no longer a “nice-to-have.” Guests want to know which measures are actually being implemented. At the same time, the new EU Directive Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition (EmpCo) is raising the bar for transparent and credible sustainability communication.

And this is exactly where the challenge begins for many tourism businesses and destinations:

How can digital solutions help communicate and demonstrate sustainability efforts in a simple, transparent and credible way?

Perhaps the answer lies in artificial intelligence, digital product passports or smart dashboards. Or perhaps in an idea that no one has thought of yet.

That is exactly why we are launching the “Proof, Not Promises: Digital Trust for Sustainable Tourism” Idea Challenge. Together with Austria Tourism and other European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs) across Europe, we are looking for innovative ideas and concepts for digital solutions that make sustainability in tourism visible, easy to understand and verifiable. The aim is to enable travellers to make informed decisions while supporting tourism businesses and destinations in successfully meeting the requirements of the new EU Directive.

Whether it’s an innovative idea, a well-developed concept or a prototype for a digital solution – we want to hear how you envision the future of transparent digital sustainability communication.

Student Track

Für Studierende und Schüler:innen

Egal, ob allein oder als Team: Reiche deine Idee ein, arbeite an einer echten europäischen Herausforderung und vernetze dich mit Unternehmen, Destinationen und Expert:innen aus ganz Europa. Als Gewinner:in profitierst du von Sichtbarkeit auf europäischer Bühne und einer wertvollen Referenz für deinen weiteren Karriereweg.

Entrepreneur Track

Für Gründer:innen, Start-up-Teams, Unternehmen oder Selbständige

Nutze die Challenge, um deine Idee einem internationalen Netzwerk aus Tourismusorganisationen, Unternehmen und European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs) vorzustellen. Neben europaweiter/ internationaler Sichtbarkeit erhältst du Mentoring von Fachexpert:innen und die Möglichkeit, wertvolle Kontakte zu potenziellen Pilotregionen, Kund:innen und Innovationspartner:innen zu knüpfen, um deine Idee zur Marktreife zu bringen.

• Make sustainability information clear and transparent.
• Support businesses in communicating sustainability in a legally compliant way.
• Prevent greenwashing and build trust. Use AI or digital technologies to make sustainability evidence easily accessible.
• Help guests make more sustainable choices.
• Help destinations and tourism businesses make their sustainability efforts visible.

Whether it’s an app, AI assistant, platform, dashboard, digital service or a completely new approach – there are no limits to your creativity.