D3HUB Newsletter | June 2026

D3HUB's achievements and final push
Over the past few months of the project, we have been finalising our understanding of the work carried out, forging strategic partnerships and presenting the results of our work over the years to the expert community. Below is a brief summary of the activities undertaken.

D3HUB Partners Meeting

Kiel hosted the meeting of partners from the most recent project. On 27 and 28 May, we met, discussed and made progress on the launch of the Competence Centre and its sustainability plan, working to ensure that European destinations become data-driven through support and advice; access to dashboards and data; training and knowledge transfer; and the creation of tools for sustainable decision-making.

This paves the way for smarter, more resilient and more competitive destinations.

Launch of the Data-Driven Sustainable Tourism Forum

The project played a key role in the first Data Driven Sustainable Tourism Forum webinar, a new biannual digital event designed to translate the EU’s strategic vision into tangible, data-backed realities for destinations across Europe. It brings together industry experts from around the world to turn raw data into actionable sustainability strategies. The event took place on 15 April.

The initiative, organised by AnySolution (project coordinator), is being developed in line with the framework of the European Strategy for Sustainable Tourism. For more information, please visit https://datadriven.sustainabletourismforum.eu/

Webinar ‘Innovate, Scale, Compete: Europe’s Travel Tech Momentum’

On 17 March, this event was moderated by Dolores Ordóñez, the project coordinator, who outlined the project’s work in her introduction. It brought together founders and start-ups from the tourism technology sector, leading digital platforms, experts in EU policy and legislation, venture capitalists, innovation hubs and technology SMEs to analyse how AI is transforming the tourism sector.

Participation in Dubrovnik Green Capital Smart Tourism

Project partner Urska Starc Peceny and project coordinator Dolores Ordóñez spoke at the ceremony recognising the city of Dubrovnik as a European Green Pioneer of Smart Tourism, held at the end of March.

This location is also a key hub for D3HUB, and this recognition demonstrates that data-driven support is essential for creating resilient and sustainable destinations – a message conveyed by Urska and Dolores during their presentations.

D3HUB Academy

Last April, the Joint Research Centre (JRC) organised the internal webinar ‘Data, Tools & Research for Sustainable Tourism’, which provided an overview of its work in support of sustainable tourism in the EU. The event explored and discussed the complex dynamics of short-term rentals (STRs) and housing, as well as the JRC’s findings on residents’ perceptions of tourism; two key areas for modern destination management.

In addition, on 26 May, the project coordinator, Dolores Ordóñez, presented the webinar ‘Smart Destinations Strategy’, which provided an update on the integration of the Academy and the smart destinations strategy into the new European strategy. It was also agreed to finalise the content to be delivered at the D3HUB Academy in the future.

Conference: ‘Digital Transformation in the Tourism Sector’

The project coordinator, Dolores Ordóñez, took part in a panel discussion at the event, during which she highlighted the value of D3HUB as a useful platform for improving tourism management through the use of data, thereby promoting scalable and responsible solutions.

Enrique Martínez, president of Sociedad Mercantil Estatal para la Gestión de la Innovación y las Tecnologías Turísticas (SEGITTUR), took part alongside Dolores in this initiative, organised by Club Diario de Mallorca.

New publication!

‘The 40 destinations one-year journey: How D3HUB is piloting the European Competence Centre to support Destinations in Data Management’ report was published last April. It outlines the project’s pilot scheme, designed to assist tourist destinations with data management.

In this regard, it also highlights the strengths, weaknesses and challenges facing European tourism, as well as the next steps the project will take in these final months of work. All of this is geared towards the goal of achieving more sustainable and resilient tourism.

Read the publication

New blog post

In this new blog, we discuss the support that D3HUB Academy provides to pilot destinations in areas such as the green transition and the implementation of digital tools to facilitate their implementation and development.

This support, provided through online seminars, includes information on data collection, visualisation and application; examples of how destinations are turning data into practical strategies; a wealth of expert knowledge and insights from other pilot destinations ready to share; and a preview of the EU’s upcoming tourism strategies.

Read the blog

From tourism data to useful insights

As part of D3HUB, Ljubljana Tourism, in collaboration with our partner Arctur, has integrated AI-based predictive models into its platform to better anticipate tourist flows and facilitate smarter destination management. To this end, it has combined daily data on tourist flows, business event calendars and public holidays from the main source markets

This initiative illustrates how destinations can use data and AI to improve planning, optimize resources and enhance the visitor experience.

Collaboration with Digital Islands project

Last May, D3HUB and the Digital Islands project joined forces and shared expertise with the aim of promoting joint solutions to tackle common challenges, such as:

Improving the quality of life for island residents; a key link between the two projects, as they cover destinations such as the Azores, Rhodes and Mallorca
Smart tourism management and visitor flow control
Striking a balance between the well-being of residents and tourists

The aim of this collaboration, underpinned by technology, shared intelligence and local commitment, is to create a more sustainable tourism model that benefits communities