City Destinations Alliance
The alliance of Tourist Boards, Convention Bureaux and Destination Management Organisations in Europe
We are the European knowledge sharing alliance for cities and urban regions. While working on the DNA of our cities, we are committed to a sustainable, inclusive and responsible visitor economy that benefits people, planet and prosperity.
We are much more than a network. We want to publicly advocate for our common goals while still learning from each other.
Our vision is for all cities in Europe to flourish as great places to live, work, meet and explore. As a community of DMO professionals, our promise to each other is to always be curious and forward-thinking, share our inspiration and never stop learning.
Highlights
The reference for Leisure, Meetings Industry and City Marketing in Europe.
Call for Tender
CityDNA is seeking conference curators!
City Destinations Alliance is seeking conference curators who can develop inspiring, innovative, and forward-thinking programmes with original formats and moderate the entire conference in an engaging manner. They will have to demonstrate a solid network and experience when recruiting speakers and conceptualising international events as well as a solid knowledge of the tourism and Meetings Industry sectors.
Accessibility Survey
Accessibility is the tool, Inclusion is the Objective
We want to help destinations create a more welcoming environment for people with disabilities! City Destinations Alliance and Destinations International are collaborating on a global accessibility report to investigate the evolving accessibility landscape in destinations across Europe and North America.
Reality Check!: register now!
CityDNA International Conference, April 24-27, 2024
In a world of more and more artificial content, will #humanmade become the new quality mark? Do dispersal strategies work to alleviate visitor pressures? How inclusive is your event design really? When did you last check your green storytelling in the post-EU Green Claims Directive reality? And what do you do, when reality truly hits, and you need to reimagine everything?
Join us for a series of big and collaborative reality checks, as we meet for the City Destinations Alliance “Reality Check!” International Conference in Bologna, April 24-27, 2024!
Featured Events
#CityDNA events provide members with information, contacts and business leads they cannot afford to miss out on.
Members know best…
The CityDNA Knowledge Groups play a strategic role in helping us develop new ideas, products, insights and solutions in the areas of City Cards, Marketing & Communication, Meetings Industry, Research & Insights, Sustainability, Tourist Information Centres or Trends. They are incubators of new ideas and an important source of insights and expertise.
When it comes to looking at the future, the constantly evolving CityDNA Summer School is a unique opportunity for young professionals just entering the Meetings Industry to spend three days with some of the biggest names in our business, to understand the nature of the Meetings Industry, and acquire practical marketing skills. An unforgettable career-defining experience!
By providing data, we can benchmark the performances of our destinations with bednights and in meetings statistics, as well as the financing and spending structures of our organisations. For the 50% of our members who do not have their own research departments, City Destinations Alliance can provide a unique & essential source of information.
City Destinations Alliance knows that we, as members, have specific interests and provides us with the opportunity to have our own platforms, events and forums. CityDNA also helps us members to align our own strategic agenda with whatever demands, challenges and opportunities tomorrow will bring.
Every year, we have more and more City Cards specialists participating in the City Cards Expert Meeting and strengthening the network. Through best practices and knowledge exchange, these meetings allow CityDNA member destinations to fine-tune their City Cards product, the associated communication and sales strategy, with the goal of managing the destination in a sustainable way.
City Destinations Alliance is a member organisation. It is with us members and by the members. Through its strategy, CityDNA explores a more sustainable tomorrow together with a great purpose and appetite for experimenting in the visitor economy that contributes to a better life in the city. This knowledge is essential in my daily job!
Knowledge exchange and best practices’ sessions are core activities in City Destinations Alliance: from meetings statistics to legacy or ambassador programmes, we are always kept up to date by the best examples in Europe and from around the world.
City Destinations Alliance is the only organisation to gather all CEOs of European destinations to discuss the latest market trends and new developments in policy, strategy and operations. But more important: it gives me a network of persons with whom I share challenges and endeavours, be it sustainability challenges, citizens support or how to measure the broader pros and cons of tourism. In short: This meeting is on the very top of my list.
CityDNA Live
[REALITY CHECK! ✔️] 🔥 What a session at the #CityDNA #RealityCheck Conference in Bologna: The #PowerofCommunity shone bright as we welcomed an impressive lineup to the stage.
Four leading minds, Geerte Udo from @amsterdam&partners, Petra Stusek, former President of City ...Destinations Alliance, Claire Mertens from @visitantwerp, and Inga Hlin Pallsdottir, from Visit Reykjavik, graced us with a changeover ceremony of sorts – a symbolic check-in and check-out of destination executives.
Together, they delved into the evolving landscape of #DestinationLeadership.
💡 Their combined expertise offered precious insights into executing truly impactful projects in the world of travel and tourism.
#CityDNA #TourismLeadership #DMOInsights
Group NAO Bologna Convention Bureau Bologna Welcome
[REALITY CHECK! ✔️] At the #CityDNA #RealityCheck Conference in Bologna, Dr. Bozana Zekan from @ModulUniversity shared the early findings of the upcoming City Travel Report by CityDNA.
How does your destination measure up? You have until April 30 to input your data and be featured in ...the comprehensive report: https://buff.ly/4daCme3
A golden chance for destinations to position themselves in the ever-evolving tourism landscape!
#TourismInsights #Benchmarking #CityTravelReportbyCityDNA #DestinationData
Group NAO Bologna Convention Bureau Bologna Welcome
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[REALITY CHECK! ✔️] Session Recaps from the #CityDNA #RealityCheck Conference in Bologna!
Attendees had the opportunity to choose between 2 compelling parallel sessions, each exploring cutting-edge themes in the tourism and events industries.
1️⃣ #MergingRealities in ...Visitor Experiences:
We dove into the fascinating world of #ExtendedReality at this session. Omar van Beek from Toerisme Veluwe Arnhem Nijmegen discussed how new technologies are adding character and interactive layers to historical sites in Gelderland and Veluwe. Additionally, Pauline Mackay from #MuseumsintheMetaverse and University of Glasgow showcased how virtual enhancements are revolutionizing Scotland’s cultural offerings, blending the virtual with the physical to forge new ways of experiencing culture and heritage.
2️⃣ #TheRealityofRisks in Business Events:
Anne Dissing from Wonderful Copenhagen led a critical discussion on risk management in the business events sector. Highlighting insights from Copenhagen CVB’s latest white paper, the session explored strategies for identifying and sharing risks amid the challenges posed by global disruptions. The session, introduced by Natasha Richards from IMEX emphasized the importance of collaborative approaches to managing risks within the international meetings industry.
🌐 Both sessions provided innovative insights and practical solutions, pushing the boundaries of traditional practices in their respective fields.
#VisitorExperience #RiskManagement #BusinessEvents #TourismInnovation
Group NAO Bologna Convention Bureau Bologna Welcome
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[REALITY CHECK! ✔️] 🏆 VivaCITY Winners Update at the #CityDNA #RealityCheck Conference in Bologna!
We celebrated the progress of Turin and Helsinki, winners of the VivaCITY contest. These cities have embarked on a transformative three-year journey to become future-proof ...destinations with the guidance of top experts from Simpleview and Place Generation.
The First Rule of VivaCITY: "Don’t talk about the city!"
Why this paradoxical statement? The essence captured at the VivaCITY sessions revealed much. Considering Helsinki and Turin are two very different destinations, there were surprising a lot of similarities in their behaviour. Both Helsinki and Turin may appear modest, even shy, amidst the clamor of global travel destinations. Yet, these cities embody a quiet confidence and an unspoken invitation to explore their depths.
Henna Siltanen and Nina Vesterinen from Helsingin kaupunki - Helsingfors stad - City of Helsinki, along with Cristina Cerutti from Turismo Torino e Provincia, showcased how and on what they are working with expert coaches.
🌐 This session was a deep dive into the ongoing progresses of both cities!
#VivaCITY #FutureProofCities #UrbanTransformation
Group NAO Bologna Convention Bureau Bologna Welcome
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[REALITY CHECK! ✔️] Session Recaps from the #CityDNA #RealityCheck Conference in Bologna!
Attendees had the opportunity to choose between 2 enlightening sessions that delved into community engagement and climate action.
1️⃣ AI in Community Engagement:
Emile Heymans, ...Community Engagement Specialist at CitizenLab, led an engaging discussion on the power of AI in making sense of vast community input. His session highlighted an AI-powered tool designed to analyse community feedback efficiently, allowing organisations to act swiftly on new insights and enhance community wellbeing.
2️⃣ Climate Action in Tourism:
The #CheckYourClimateReality session, guided by CityDNA’s Sustainability Knowledge Group, along with Jeremy Smith of The Travel Foundation, examined the current state of climate action within tourism. They discussed innovative strategies and alternative realities for improving sustainability practices across destinations.
🌐 Both sessions provided valuable perspectives on using technology and innovative approaches to tackle major challenges in urban and tourism development.
#CommunityEngagement #ClimateAction #SustainableTourism
Group NAO Bologna Convention Bureau Bologna Welcome
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[REALITY CHECK! ✔️] Session Recaps from the #CityDNA #RealityCheck Conference in Bologna!
Attendees had the option to choose between 2 parallel sessions, each offering deep dives into critical aspects of urban tourism.
1️⃣ Community Wellbeing & Tourism:
In a ...dynamic session by Carron Tobin of SCOTO and Pia Lange Christensen of VisitAarhus, the discussion focused on the evolving role of DMOs in enhancing community tourism. Aileen Crawford from Glasgow Convention Bureau steered the conversation, highlighting innovative strategies like volunteer corps in Aarhus and community tourism recalibration in Scotland. The big question: Are DMOs truly tuned into community needs?
2️⃣ Dispersal Strategy Effectiveness:
Olivier Ponti from ForwardKeys and Miguel Angel Perez of Visit València -Spain delved into the efficacy of dispersal strategies in easing visitor pressure. Joined by insights from Carlotta Ferrari of Destination Florence CVB and Rikke Holm Petersen of VisitCopenhagen, the session scrutinised whether spreading visitors across different areas and seasons really works as intended.
🌐 Both sessions ignited discussions on the transformative power and challenges within urban tourism today.
#UrbanTourism #CommunityTourism #DispersalStrategies
Group NAO Bologna Convention Bureau Bologna Welcome
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[REALITY CHECK! ✔️] 🔄 #WhenRealityHits – At the #CityDNA Conference #RealityCheck, we were honoured to host Yaroslava Yaroslavska, Partnership Development Manager at Lviv Tourism Office.
In an insightful session, Yaroslava shared Lviv's journey from a thriving tourist ...destination to a city reshaping its role amidst war. Faced with new realities, Lviv is now #RethinkingTourism, focusing on domestic visitors including internally displaced persons, volunteers, journalists, business travellers, and rehabilitation patients.
Yaroslava highlighted Lviv's commitment to recovery and societal healing with initiatives like #TheCityHeals, offering cultural engagements for patients in medical care. Moreover, Lviv is adapting its visitor ecosystem to enhance #accessibility for those with disabilities and reduced mobility.
A real showcase of #resilience and #adaptation. 🕊️
#SocialImpact #RealityCheck
Group NAO Bologna Convention Bureau Bologna Welcome