The ECTN Awards 2023 are a quality label aimed at raising the profile of European Cultural Tourism Destinations. The general theme of the ECTN (European Cultural Tourism Network) Awards 2023 focuses on: Smart Tourism - Smart Destinations Cultural Heritage and Creativity, Digitalisation, Sustainability.

Open to tourist destinations throughout Europe, this initiative makes it possible to showcase the results and sustainability cultural tourism productions of destinations in various categories selected each year.

The finalists were selected according to 6 categories:

// Digitalisation and digital transition in Sustainable Cultural Tourism;

// History and Heritage;

// Riverside Heritage;

// Transnational Thematic Tourism Products, including European Cultural Routes (involving at least 2 Europeans countries, not necessarily neighbouring ones);

// Religious, Piligrim and Spiritual Tourism;

// Traditional Skills, Crafts and Creativity (on the occasion of the European Year of Skills 2023).

The winners were announced on 19 October 2023, during the 16th International Cultural Tourism Conference held in Paphos, Cyprus. Co-ordinated by ETCN, in partnership with Europa Nostra, the European Travel Commission (ETC) and NescTour, and as part of the 'European Capital of Smart Tourism Paphos 2023' and the 'RelnHerit Horizon 2020 CSA', the 2023 edition of the award also aimed to create a platform for sharing experiences and knowledge, as well as promoting networking between destinations.