Benchmarking tourism digitalization in the EU: evidence from a multi-criteria approach

Purpose The goal of this research is to provide a comparative assessment of tourism digitalization among European Union (EU) member states from the digital indicators of the EU Tourism Dashboard. To achieve this, the study identifies regional disparities, benchmarks national performance and informs targeted digital transformation strategies within the tourism sector. Design/methodology/approach Using standardized digital indicators, the study constructs a synthetic composite index through the double reference point method and applies entropy weighting for indicator aggregation. This method enables an objective evaluation of each country's digital maturity, focusing on multiple dimensions including information and communication technology infrastructure, digital skills, e-commerce and platform integration. Findings The results reveal significant regional differences in digitalization level across the EU. Spain stands out as a digitally mature destination, showing consistent improvement and a balanced performance across all indicators, whereas Italy, Slovakia and Czechia display negative trends. In contrast, Poland and Bulgaria demonstrate significant digital advancements. Practical implications The benchmarking approach allows policymakers and tourism managers to pinpoint areas of strength or weakness, guiding investment and enabling the design of targeted interventions to enhance digital skills and infrastructure, contributing to the resilience of EU destinations in the post-pandemic era. Originality/value This research advances the field by leveraging the standardized EU Tourism Dashboard indicators and applying a rigorous multi-criteria methodology, thus filling a gap in comparative digitalization studies at the national level.