City Destinations Alliance
The alliance of Tourist Boards, Convention Bureaux and City Marketing Organisations in Europe
We are the 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: Reality Check!
CityDNA International Conference, April 24-27, 2024
Every day, as we open our news feeds, seek advice, look for inspiration, we are challenged to distinguish truth from fiction and noise. Our ability to recognise what is real has shifted, and we are left with questioning both the impact and authenticity of our experiences. In an age of blurred realities and constant scrutiny of information, the time has come for a deep reality check on urban tourism!
This is a Call for Speakers to help us perform a collaborative reality check on urban tourism, as we convene for the City Destinations Alliance International Conference & General Assembly from April 24 – 27, 2024 in Bologna.
CEO Meeting in Brussels
January 29-30, 2024
The Annual Meeting of CEOs is a compact lunch-to-lunch event that will provide you with an opportunity for open, peer-group discussion of current prospects, issues and concerns relating to city tourism. Combining two highly relevant topics for DMO leaders, the forthcoming Meeting of CityDNA CEOs promises to be an inspiring and informative event, designed to help peers build their knowledge and support each other.
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
![[EUROPE'S TRAVEL LEADERS 🧳] The seventh episode of the Destination Think Europe's Travel Leaders series is a conversation with Mikkel Aarø-Hansen, CEO of Visit Copenhagen.
Copenhagen is often considered the most sustainable city in the world. But they didn’t earn that title by accident. Denmark’s capital and its leaders have been working for decades to lead a transformation through shifts in government policy and culture.
Mikkel Aarø-Hansen shares why it’s important that travel and tourism connects people to ideas that can inspire us all to tackle the sustainability challenges we’re currently facing.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- What exactly it means to be a “temporary local.”
- Why Copenhagen believes it has a responsibility to educate visitors before they return home.
- Advancements in sustainability that are changing the way the city operates.
Listen to the podcast: https://buff.ly/48563ty
#CityDNA](https://citydestinationsalliance.eu/wp-content/plugins/social-wall/img/placeholder.png)
[EUROPE'S TRAVEL LEADERS 🧳] The seventh episode of the Destination Think Europe's Travel Leaders series is a conversation with Mikkel Aarø-Hansen, CEO of Visit Copenhagen.
Copenhagen is often considered the most sustainable city in the world. But they didn’t earn that title by ...accident. Denmark’s capital and its leaders have been working for decades to lead a transformation through shifts in government policy and culture.
Mikkel Aarø-Hansen shares why it’s important that travel and tourism connects people to ideas that can inspire us all to tackle the sustainability challenges we’re currently facing.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- What exactly it means to be a “temporary local.”
- Why Copenhagen believes it has a responsibility to educate visitors before they return home.
- Advancements in sustainability that are changing the way the city operates.
Listen to the podcast: https://buff.ly/48563ty
#CityDNA
[FESTIVE FUN AT THE HEAD OFFICE ✨]
Today marked our Christmas tree🎄 decorating extravaganza😉 at the #CityDNA Head Office! 🎉✨ While it didn't consume the entire day (because, priorities!), the festive spirit sure took over. 🌟 How about you? Have you sprinkled a bit of ...holiday magic at your space?
Share your festive vibes! 🎁🏡
#HolidayJoy #CityDNAmagic
[PRESS RELEASE 📣] /// Joint urban tourism and sustainable travel events, CityDNA Autumn Conference & GDS-Forum, to be held in Visit Bruges in 2024 ///
City Destinations Alliance and the Global Destination Sustainability Movement announced that their two back-to-back events in urban ...tourism and sustainable travel, #CityDNA Autumn Conference & #GDSForum will be hosted in Bruges on October 15-19, 2024.
Read the press release: https://buff.ly/4a8ayoS
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[IBTM2023] That’s a wrap !
We are happy after a successful and intense week in Barcelona, in the frame of #IBTM trade show:
- Active role in the #JMIC Meeting to fooster dialogue and advocate on our sector
- Full room for our CVB café, gathering our Convention Bureaux members for an ...interactive and productive discussion, lots of takeaways to come home with and this is sure, conversations are already going on between members. We love our family and community spirit!
- We announced #Bruges as hosting city of the GDS Forum combined with our Autumn conference, on October 15-19, 2024
- We had our part on the stage with our President Petra Stušek and ICCAWorld CEO Senthil Gopinath through an impactful session on #advocacy
- Fruitful conversations with members and we have a bunch of future members lined up to join us in 2024 and new possible partnerships in mind!
In the meantime, see you at CityDNA #CEO meeting in #Brussels on January 29-30 or at our International conference and General Assembly on April 24-27, 2024 in #Bologna!
#CityDNA #eventprofs #meetingsindustry
![Lightbox link for post with description [CALL FOR SPEAKERS 📣] 🌍✨ Exciting News!...](https://scontent-sea1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/405283595_749195063917006_9222683231761694780_n.jpg?_nc_cat=111&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=3635dc&_nc_ohc=7WIb5WSrKGkAX9q1LkU&_nc_ht=scontent-sea1-1.xx&edm=AKIiGfEEAAAA&oh=00_AfAyox_73biPTXJHm2s_tXfs_PB_XufxfmWsscPXWWgRgQ&oe=6579F6D1){kind=link}
[CALL FOR SPEAKERS 📣] 🌍✨ Exciting News! City Destinations Alliance invites you to be a part of our International Conference in Bologna Welcome, April 24-27, 2024.
🗣️ The CALL FOR SPEAKERS is now OPEN! https://buff.ly/47EvwKs
Share your expertise on urban tourism, AI, ...sustainability, and more.
Submit your proposals to nao@groupnao.com before December 30, 2023.
Let's perform a collaborative reality check together! 🌐🔍
#CityDNA #CallForSpeakers #UrbanTourism #RealityCheck #Bologna #InnovationInTourism #ConferenceSpeaker
![Lightbox link for post with description [EUROPE'S TRAVEL LEADERS 🧳] The sixth episode...](https://scontent-sea1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/405271748_748531713983341_6220793752305751503_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_p720x720&_nc_cat=100&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=3635dc&_nc_ohc=NK_PmPwTUy8AX9jaPBV&_nc_ht=scontent-sea1-1.xx&edm=AKIiGfEEAAAA&oh=00_AfD4rrzn1GqwzWvI4fJ-YfyXbJeC2wGhehQ5jNwiVghuoA&oe=657923F9){kind=link}
[EUROPE'S TRAVEL LEADERS 🧳] The sixth episode of the Destination Think Europe's Travel Leaders series is a conversation with Miguel Angel Perez, Brand & Markets Director at Visit València -Spain.
Valencia became the first city to measure and certify its carbon footprint, and ...was recently named a European Capital of Smart Tourism, and followed that up with becoming a World Design Capital. Next year, it becomes the newest Green Capital as selected by The European Commission. A combination of brilliant data gathering, initiatives to improve liveability, and policies supporting sustainability are making a huge positive impact on residents and visitors alike.
In this episode Miguel Angel shares the wins, challenges and landscape that allows Valencia to make such an ambitious change.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- How Valencia’s small steps in sustainability have added up make big impacts.
- What Valencia learned about where the city’s carbon emissions come from.
- How Visit Valencia’s mandate has changed over the past few years.
- Advice on how to get momentum behind ambitious changes.
- What the way of life in Valencia can teach visitors.
Listen to the podcast: https://buff.ly/47vYR9Y
#CityDNA
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[CITYDNA AUTUMN CONFERENCE & GDS-FORUM 🌍] We are delighted to announce that CityDNA Autumn Conference and GDS-Forum will take place in #Bruges next year!
Save the date on October 15-19 for a full week of #sustainability and #impact strategies combined with best practices and latest ...challenges for destinations.
Thanks to Global Destination Sustainability Movement (GDS-Movement), Visit Bruges, Visit Bruges Convention Bureau
#eventprofs #CityDNA #GDSForum
![Lightbox link for post with description [CITYDNA CVB CAFE ☕] Full room for our CVB ...](https://scontent-sea1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/406030432_746991024137410_6663687180642252388_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_p720x720&_nc_cat=108&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=dd5e9f&_nc_ohc=n-hYluqcc3oAX8u2_q-&_nc_ht=scontent-sea1-1.xx&edm=AKIiGfEEAAAA&oh=00_AfBLA98bxA30xi2vUa0WDz-pNd6MZxa6GnpU9drvh0es0w&oe=65790CFB){kind=link}
[CITYDNA CVB CAFE ☕] Full room for our CVB Café gathering our CityDNA family ; Convention Bureaux from all Europe exchanging on burning topics in their daily jobs and sharing key takeaways.
This event is prior to IBTM where #CityDNA will also be present during the next two days!
...#cvbcafé #Benchmarking #powerofcommunity #eventprofs #IBTMWorld