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 Speakers: Moving Together
CityDNA Autumn Conference, Verona, October 19-21, 2026
What if the most valuable conference session happened while walking through the streets of Verona? CityDNA is looking for curious minds to lead intimate, thought-provoking walkshops where conversation takes centre stage. No slides. No stage. Just meaningful dialogue, fresh perspectives and ideas in motion. Could this be you?
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
![[MOVING TOGETHER 👣] The programme for the CityDNA Autumn Conference 2026 is now live.
Across two days in Verona, Europe’s city destination community will explore:
How people move to, through and between cities.
Accessibility as a design principle rather than a compliance exercise.
The impact of artificial intelligence and digital transformation on the visitor journey.
The dispersal of visitors beyond established places and peak periods.
And the wider question connecting the programme: where should the visitor economy move next, and how can European city destinations move there together?
📍 Verona
🗓️ October 19-21, 2026
Explore the programme and secure the early bird rate before August 14:
https://citydestinationsalliance.eu/event/citydna-autumn-conference-2026-verona/
#CityDNA #MovingTogether #CityDNAVerona2026 #VisitorEconomy #DigitalTransformation #SustainableTourism Destination Verona & Garda Verona Garda Convention Bureau](https://citydestinationsalliance.eu/wp-content/plugins/social-wall/img/placeholder.png)
[MOVING TOGETHER 👣] The programme for the CityDNA Autumn Conference 2026 is now live.
Across two days in Verona, Europe’s city destination community will explore:
How people move to, through and between cities.
Accessibility as a design principle rather than a ...compliance exercise.
The impact of artificial intelligence and digital transformation on the visitor journey.
The dispersal of visitors beyond established places and peak periods.
And the wider question connecting the programme: where should the visitor economy move next, and how can European city destinations move there together?
📍 Verona
🗓️ October 19-21, 2026
Explore the programme and secure the early bird rate before August 14:
https://citydestinationsalliance.eu/event/citydna-autumn-conference-2026-verona/
#CityDNA #MovingTogether #CityDNAVerona2026 #VisitorEconomy #DigitalTransformation #SustainableTourism Destination Verona & Garda Verona Garda Convention Bureau
[CITY TRAVEL REPORT BY CITYDNA 📈] European city tourism has moved beyond recovery. The defining question is now how destinations recalibrate.
The 22nd edition of the City Travel Report by CityDNA 2025–2026 brings together comparable data from a record 141 European cities, offering a ...clearer view of performance, source markets, capacity, occupancy, tourism intensity and transport-related CO₂ emissions.
The latest findings point to mature, more moderate growth:
📈 Total bednights increased by an average of 4.1% in 2025
🌍 107 cities recorded growth in total bednights
✈️ International bednights rose by 5.1%, with long-haul markets showing particularly strong momentum
🏙️ Cities grew faster than other regions in total bednight volumes
Beyond the rankings, the report supports a more important task: turning comparable evidence into decisions about long-term value, destination stewardship and the future of the visitor economy.
This edition also introduces a European City Travel Trends 2026 chapter, adding a forward-looking perspective on traveller behaviour, destination choices and emerging opportunities.
CityDNA members can access the report free of charge. Further information and ordering details: https://citydestinationsalliance.eu/city-travel-report-by-citydna/
#CityDNA #CityDNAResearchAndInsights #VisitorEconomy #DataDrivenDestinations #DestinationManagement #TourismInsights
[CITYDNA SUMMER SCHOOL 🎓] It's Faculty Friday!
Meet Jonathan Easton, VP Design at GEVME.
How are AI and technology reshaping the business events industry? Jonathan will explore the latest innovations transforming how destinations and events are planned, delivered and ...experienced.
Through practical examples and real-world case studies, participants will discover how technology can streamline operations, enhance attendee experiences and support better decision-making.
📍 Dijon, France
🗓️ August 24-28, 2026
Stay ahead of the latest trends and discover how technology is shaping the future of business events.
🔗 Register today: https://citydestinationsalliance.eu/event/40th-citydna-summer-school-2026-dijon/
#CityDNA #CityDNASummerSchool #BusinessEvents #AI #EventTech #FacultyFriday Destination Dijon
It is with great sadness that we learned of the passing of Denis Zanon, a highly respected tourism professional and a valued member of our community.
Denis served on the Board of City Destinations Alliance (formerly European Cities Marketing) including as Treasurer, from 2009 to 2015. ...During these years, his experience, commitment and passion for tourism made an important contribution to the development of the Alliance and to cooperation between European city destinations.
Throughout his career, Denis played a leading role in the tourism sector, notably with Explore Nice Côte d'Azur. Most recently, he was Director of Pays de Grasse Tourisme, continuing to place his expertise, energy and dedication at the service of destinations and their communities.
His professionalism, warmth and generosity left a lasting impression on all those who had the privilege of working alongside him.
On behalf of the entire CityDNA community, past and present, we extend our deepest condolences to Denis’s family and loved ones, to his former colleagues, and to the teams at Pays de Grasse Tourisme and Explore Nice Côte d'Azur.
Denis will be warmly remembered, and his contribution to our Alliance will not be forgotten.
[MOVING TOGETHER 👣] In Verona, the city will not simply host the conference. It will become part of the programme.
Small-group walkshops will take conversations out of the meeting room and into the streets, exploring accessibility through everyday experience, mapping the modern visitor ...journey and examining the connections between tourism, climate resilience and urban life.
Each walkshop will be a working session, designed to leave city leaders with a practical question to take back to their own destination.
Because some of the most valuable conversations begin when a city is experienced on foot.
📍 Verona
🗓️ October 19-21, 2026
Walkshop places will be limited. Secure a place in Verona: https://citydestinationsalliance.eu/event/citydna-autumn-conference-2026-verona/
#CityDNA #MovingTogether #CityDNAVerona2026 #AccessibleTourism #ClimateResilience #DestinationManagement Destination Verona & Garda Verona Garda Convention Bureau
[CITYDNA VISITOR EXPERIENCE EXPERT MEETING ℹ️] Registrations are now open for the 13th CityDNA Visitor Experience Expert Meeting, bringing together Tourist Information Centre managers and front-office professionals from across Europe.
📍 Valencia
🗓️ November 19-20, 2026
...
Under the theme “How TICs Empower Local Communities”, the meeting will explore how visitor services can generate lasting social, economic and community value while responding to the evolving challenges facing destinations.
Through practical examples, peer exchange and shared expertise, visitor experience professionals will examine new approaches to strengthening local connections and reinforcing the role of Tourist Information Centres within the visitor economy.
Join the CityDNA Visitor Experience community in Valencia to exchange practices, expand professional networks and advance more people-centred approaches to destination management.
🔗 Register and discover the programme: https://citydestinationsalliance.eu/event/13th-citydna-visitor-experience-expert-meeting-2026-valencia/
#CityDNA #CityDNAVisitorExperience #VisitorEconomy #DestinationManagement #VisitorExperience #TouristInformationCentres Visit València -Spain
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[CITYDNA SUMMER SCHOOL 🎓] It's Faculty Friday!
Meet Barbara Jamison-Woods, President of City Destinations Alliance and Head of Europe, Tourism and Convention Bureau at London & Partners.
What makes a Convention Bureau a key player in destination success? Barbara will ...share her expertise on the strategic role of CVBs, from working with local stakeholders to driving long-term value for destinations through the business events industry.
Together with Dennis Speet, she will help participants gain a deeper understanding of how Convention Bureaux operate and the opportunities and challenges shaping their future.
📍 Dijon, France
🗓️ August 24-28, 2026
Start building a strong foundation for a successful career in the business events industry.
🔗 Register today: https://citydestinationsalliance.eu/event/40th-citydna-summer-school-2026-dijon/
#CityDNA #CityDNASummerSchool #BusinessEvents #ConventionBureau #DestinationManagement #FacultyFriday Destination Dijon
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[MOVING TOGETHER 👣] Movement is shaping the future of Europe’s city destinations.
How people arrive, move through neighbourhoods and discover places beyond the obvious influences accessibility, liveability, visitor dispersal, resilience and long-term value.
But Moving ...Together also carries a second meaning: how Europe’s DMOs and CVBs align around shared priorities, strengthen their collective voice and move the visitor economy forward.
This October, the CityDNA Autumn Conference will explore both dimensions in a city actively rethinking its own approach to urban mobility.
📍 Verona
🗓️ October 19-21, 2026
Early bird registration is now open until August 14.
Register: https://citydestinationsalliance.eu/event/citydna-autumn-conference-2026-verona/
#CityDNA #MovingTogether #CityDNAVerona2026 #VisitorEconomy #DestinationManagement #UrbanMobility Destination Verona & Garda Verona Garda Convention Bureau