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.
Moving Together
CityDNA Autumn Conference, Verona, October 19-21, 2026
Join us to explore how mobility, accessibility, data, AI and business events are reshaping city destinations. Discover how cities can respond to changing visitor flows and move forward together with greater alignment and collective purpose.
The CityDNA Tórshavn Declaration
From Shared Priorities to Action
The CityDNA Tórshavn Declaration is a collective strategic framework developed with and for members. It captures the key priorities shaping the future of Europe’s city destinations and translates them into concrete areas of action.
The Score is Not the Story
VivaCITY Whitepaper from CityDNA & Simpleview
What’s Beyond the Sustainability Score? In a time when certifications and indexes dominate the sustainability narrative, this whitepaper invites destination leaders to look deeper—beyond metrics and toward meaningful, transformative strategies.
Climate Change and the Future of Tourism
Trend Room Whitepaper
The Whitepaper written in collaboration with ETFI is based on findings from a scenario workshop that explored how the impacts of climate change will transform the travel landscape of urban tourism destinations in the long term of 5 to 10 years by means of future scenarios (2035 is taken as time horizon).
City Travel Report by CityDNA 2024-2025
A New Era of Recalibration for European City Tourism
The City Travel Report by CityDNA provides a vital perspective on the volume of urban tourism in Europe, enabling individual city destinations to chart trends and to benchmark themselves in terms of volume and other parameters, especially key source markets. It presents compelling evidence of the economic significance of contemporary urban tourism. Put simply, cities are the dominant geographical focus of European tourism, especially the lucrative (and therefore much sought after!) short break and congress and/or conventions segments.
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
![[CITYDNA SUMMER SCHOOL 🎓] Tuesday continued with a strong focus on turning principles into practice.
Leena Lassila explored how sustainability in meetings is moving from ESG commitments to measurable impact. From transport and food waste to materials, accessibility and transparent reporting, the message was clear: credible sustainability requires practical action, collaboration and proof.
Degmo Daar then put the social dimension of ESG firmly in focus, showing how equity, diversity and inclusion must be embedded in decision-making rather than treated as a checklist. Inclusion, accessibility and representation are essential foundations for events that create long-term value.
Students then took these themes further through interactive Sustainability and EDI workshops, exchanging experiences and exploring how to translate ambition into realistic solutions.
The afternoon concluded with Richard Allchild and Tadeja Pivc Coudyser on unlocking new business opportunities, from trade shows and CRM to networking, collaboration and smarter client engagement.
And learning continued beyond the classroom: a journey through Dijon connected the city’s history with its strategy as an international events destination, before the day ended with a networking dinner at Monsieur Moutarde.
A full day connecting impact, inclusion, business development and place.
#CityDNA #CityDNASummerSchool #BusinessEvents #SustainableEvents #Inclusion #DEI #ESG #DestinationManagement #VisitorEconomy](https://citydestinationsalliance.eu/wp-content/plugins/social-wall/img/placeholder.png)
[CITYDNA SUMMER SCHOOL 🎓] Tuesday continued with a strong focus on turning principles into practice.
Leena Lassila explored how sustainability in meetings is moving from ESG commitments to measurable impact. From transport and food waste to materials, accessibility and transparent ...reporting, the message was clear: credible sustainability requires practical action, collaboration and proof.
Degmo Daar then put the social dimension of ESG firmly in focus, showing how equity, diversity and inclusion must be embedded in decision-making rather than treated as a checklist. Inclusion, accessibility and representation are essential foundations for events that create long-term value.
Students then took these themes further through interactive Sustainability and EDI workshops, exchanging experiences and exploring how to translate ambition into realistic solutions.
The afternoon concluded with Richard Allchild and Tadeja Pivc Coudyser on unlocking new business opportunities, from trade shows and CRM to networking, collaboration and smarter client engagement.
And learning continued beyond the classroom: a journey through Dijon connected the city’s history with its strategy as an international events destination, before the day ended with a networking dinner at Monsieur Moutarde.
A full day connecting impact, inclusion, business development and place.
#CityDNA #CityDNASummerSchool #BusinessEvents #SustainableEvents #Inclusion #DEI #ESG #DestinationManagement #VisitorEconomy
[CITYDNA SUMMER SCHOOL 🎓] Tuesday morning at the 40th CityDNA Summer School moved quickly from purpose, to trends, to practice.
The day opened with “Inside the CVB”, where Barbara Jamison-Woods, Dennis Speet and moderator James Latham explored how business events can act as change ...agents: supporting knowledge exchange, economic development and wider government priorities. The message was clear: the value of events extends far beyond bed nights, towards legacy, impact and destination development.
Richard Allchild then looked at the trends reshaping the meetings industry, from AI and personalisation to cost pressures, sustainability, immersive technology and the continued importance of face-to-face exchange. For destinations, these shifts create both new expectations and new opportunities.
Finally, Tadeja Pivc Coudyser took students into Bidding 101, showing that a strong proposal starts with understanding the client, mapping stakeholders and deciding strategically which opportunities truly align with a destination’s strengths.
Three sessions, one connecting idea: successful business events begin with purpose, insight and alignment.
#CityDNA #CityDNASummerSchool #BusinessEvents #DestinationManagement #VisitorEconomy #EventLegacy
[CITYDNA SUMMER SCHOOL 🎓] And we are off! The 40th CityDNA Summer School has officially begun in Dijon. 🎉
This milestone edition brings together 50 students from 17 countries across Europe, supported by 14 Faculty members, for a week of learning, exchange and connection in the city ...that is also home to the CityDNA Head Office.
Monday was all about setting the foundations.
Participants first discovered City Destinations Alliance, thanks to Barbara Jamison-Woods and Inge Bauwens, its role as the European network for DMOs and CVBs, and the community they are now becoming part of. This was followed by a warm welcome to Dijon by Vincent Delaitre and an introduction to the host destination, before Course Director Dennis Speet presented the programme, the week ahead and the Hackathon that will bring the coloured groups together around a shared challenge.
But a Summer School is not only about what happens on stage. It is also about the conversations that begin around it.
Connections started straight away with a lively Bingo ice-breaker, encouraging participants to meet peers matching prompts linked to experience, interests and the meetings industry.
The conversations continued during the Welcome Reception, followed by a quiz putting both knowledge and attention to the test. Questions covered Dijon, the business events sector and the CityDNA Summer School itself, with several answers hidden in the sessions participants had just attended. Paying attention had its rewards: the winning Hackathon team earned the right to choose the order in which the groups will present their work on Thursday.
A playful start, but with a clear purpose: creating connections, encouraging curiosity and building the trust that will make the learning and group work of the coming days even stronger.
Forty editions on, the spirit of the CityDNA Summer School remains the same: learn together, challenge one another and build relationships that continue far beyond the classroom.
#CityDNA #CityDNASummerSchool #BusinessEvents #VisitorEconomy #DestinationManagement #PeerLearning Destination Dijon
[TOURMIS WORKSHOP 📈] A reminder to join us in Vienna for the 21st TourMIS Users’ Workshop & International Seminar, taking place on September 10-11, 2026.
Across two days, tourism professionals will explore how data and impact measurement can better support destination ...decision-making:
📊 September 10 – TourMIS Users’ Workshop
Led by Professor Karl Wöber, the workshop will provide practical guidance on entering, analysing and benchmarking tourism data through TourMIS.
🌍 September 11 – International Seminar
Led by the European Travel Commission, the seminar will focus on “The Adoption of Impact Models Among NTOs and DMOs”, examining how economic, social and environmental impacts can be measured and embedded into destination strategies.
📍 Modul University Vienna
🗓️ September 10-11, 2026
⏰ Registration deadline: September 4
Organised by Modul University Vienna, the European Travel Commission, City Destinations Alliance and NECSTouR.
👉 Explore the programme and secure your place: https://citydestinationsalliance.eu/event/21st-tourmis-users-workshop-international-seminar-2026-vienna/
#CityDNA #TourMIS #CityDNAResearchAndInsights #VisitorEconomy #TourismData #ImpactMeasurement #DataDrivenDestinations
[CITYDNA SUMMER SCHOOL 🎓] It's Faculty Friday!
Meet Giulia Sarri, Head of Service Design at AIM Group International and Council Member of IAPCO.
Why are strong partnerships essential to successful business events? Giulia will highlight the vital role of Professional ...Congress Organisers (PCOs) and the value of collaboration between destinations, venues and event organisers.
Participants will gain practical insights into how effective partnerships contribute to seamless event delivery and long-term success.
📍 Dijon, France
🗓️ August 24-28, 2026
Discover how collaboration drives successful business events and strengthens destination partnerships.
🔗 Register today: https://citydestinationsalliance.eu/event/40th-citydna-summer-school-2026-dijon/
#CityDNA #CityDNASummerSchool #BusinessEvents #PCO #Partnerships #FacultyFriday Destination Dijon
[MOVING TOGETHER 👣] Early bird registration for the CityDNA Autumn Conference in Verona ends tomorrow!
The conference will bring Europe’s city destination community together at the Palazzo della Gran Guardia, overlooking Piazza Bra and Verona’s Roman Arena.
Located in the ...heart of the historic centre, the venue reflects one of the conference’s central questions: how people experience and move through cities.
On the second conference day, the programme itself will move through Verona, allowing participants to experience the historic centre as visitors do.
October is also a busy period in Verona, and centrally located hotel rooms are expected to fill quickly.
📍 Verona
🗓️ October 19-21, 2026
Secure the early bird rate today. Standard registration will remain open until October 12.
Register: https://citydestinationsalliance.eu/event/citydna-autumn-conference-2026-verona/
#CityDNA #MovingTogether #CityDNAVerona2026 #VisitorEconomy #UrbanMobility #CityDestinations Destination Verona & Garda Verona Garda Convention Bureau
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[CITYDNA VISITOR EXPERIENCE EXPERT MEETING ℹ️]
How can Tourist Information Centres strengthen visitor experience while creating greater value for local communities?
The programme for the 13th CityDNA Visitor Experience Expert Meeting is now available, bringing together TIC ...professionals from across Europe around the theme:
How TICs empower local communities
The programme will explore:
- Inclusive employment through cooperation between Cologne and Stuttgart.
- Community participation in Torino’s Royal Residences and Linz’s tourism strategy.
- The return of Catalonia’s Mathematical Routes as a community-led learning case.
- How city cards in Mechelen, Amsterdam and Rotterdam can support residents’ welfare.
- And how València’s new Tourist Information Centres are reshaping the visitor experience.
Alongside practical case studies, the NetWorkShop format will create space for peer exchange, shared problem-solving and stronger professional connections across Europe.
📍 Valencia
🗓️ November 19-20, 2026
Visitor experience professionals are invited to explore the programme and join the conversation: https://citydestinationsalliance.eu/event/13th-citydna-visitor-experience-expert-meeting-2026-valencia/
#CityDNA #CityDNAVisitorExperience #VisitorExperience #LocalCommunities #DestinationManagement #VisitorEconomy Visit València -Spain
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[MOVING TOGETHER 👣] What does Moving Together require from Europe’s city destinations?
Greater alignment around shared challenges?
Stronger collaboration between tourism, mobility, culture and urban development?
More consistent evidence to support ...decision-making?
Or a clearer collective voice for the visitor economy in Europe?
These questions will sit at the heart of the CityDNA Autumn Conference in Verona, where city leaders will explore not only how visitors move, but how the sector itself can move forward.
Perspectives from across the CityDNA community are welcome in the comments.
📍 Verona
🗓️ October 19-21, 2026
The early bird rate ends this Friday, August 14.
Register: https://citydestinationsalliance.eu/event/citydna-autumn-conference-2026-verona/
#CityDNA #MovingTogether #CityDNAVerona2026 #VisitorEconomy #CityGovernance #DestinationLeadership Destination Verona & Garda Verona Garda Convention Bureau