Our Strategy

We are the generation to make it happen!

Strategy 2023-2026

Welcoming Wegeneration is our long-term purpose and vision. It invites broad collective action.

DMOs have the unique opportunity to make a real difference, they can connect people, cities and cultures and contribute to the quality of life in European cities.

Now it is the time for inspired collective action and meaningful co-creation.

This new strategy sets the tone and direction for City Destinations Alliance until 2026.
We call it Welcoming Wegeneration.

Strategy content

We are the generation +
Our purpose +
We sh(are) our values +
Goals and pillars +

We are the generation

This is a strategy that reflects a change of era for the global visitor economy and with profound implications for how cities should manage tectonic shifts in our societies and navigate towards purposeful adaptation and restructuring.

We are shifting from visitor economy to visitor ecosystem, calling for value over volume, from cities delivering what visitors want to cities sharing what they have and what they stand for.

This strategy also reflects a shift for City Destinations Alliance because it is the first strategy we do together as a re-imagined alliance of cities, after our rebranding process took us from association to alliance – and refocused on our shared (City) DNA.

We are for and by our members, and our members are looking for inspiration to shape, support and empower the change that is needed.

Our members are backing a community that shares openly and generously. Our members want the alliance to challenge assumptions, inspire new ways of doing things and set new horizons for the future of the entire urban visitor ecosystem which involves working with more parties than just commercial stakeholders of the visitor economy. It means we need to engage science, culture and community groups – to mention a few.

As an alliance, it is a collective commitment to find answers and solutions to the big question of how tourism can be designed and stimulated to regenerate our societies, and local communities. It requires the engagement and involvement of all of us.

In essence, the overall message in this first strategy of our alliance is a very positive one: DMOs have a unique opportunity to make a real difference for the destinations and communities they serve. DMOs can help unfold the potential superpower of the visitor economy in connecting people, cities, and cultures, and ultimately; contribute to the quality of life in European cities.

Our purpose

The purpose of City Destinations Alliance is to inspire and empower Europe’s city destinations in the shift towards regenerative tourism with positive impact on the liveability and visitability of our cities.

WELCOMING WEGENERATION is how we want to leverage the power of the CityDNA community towards regeneration. Putting we before me, challenging and inspiring each other as professionals to shift from words to action, from the abstract to deep understanding.

WELCOMING WEGENERATION is our next-generation strategy in recognising that the choices we make (or don’t make) today will impact the living conditions in our cities – indeed on the planet – for generations to come.

WELCOMING WEGENERATION sets the necessary vision for the future of tourism in European cities, beyond the overriding imperative of economic growth. Instead, we champion the holistic and simple idea of regeneration that tourism must leave the place better than it was. In other words, tourism must positively add to the natural, social, cultural, and economic resources of our communities and cities.

WELCOMING WEGENERATION appreciates that regenerative tourism is far from simple in practice. For destinations working with the urban visitor ecosystem every day, regenerative tourism can seem an abstract and utopic concept. Several CityDNA members who have contributed to this strategy, have expressed the need to “walk the talk” and clarify what regenerative tourism looks like in an urban habitat, and how DMOs can play a tangible and ambitious role in stimulating it.
As an alliance, it is our challenge to unfold regenerative tourism as more than a beautiful idea and a micro-segment for the explorative few in the far corner of the marketplace.

WELCOMING WEGENERATION means working together. It is the power of our community to build on each other’s ideas and experiences to learn what works and what doesn’t. It is our task to identify, understand and share both sustainable and regenerative practices, programmes and experiences that we can all learn from.

We are powered by our community and the collaborative advantage of our European alliance, because now is the time for inspired collective action.
We call it WEGENERATION.

 

Logo WeGeneration Stamp_Plan de travail 1

We sh(are) our values

And in working towards our vision, we are guided by the shared values and promise that we have defined together – in workshops, seminars, in our conferences, interviews, and in the recent re-imagination of our brand identity.

  • Positively Welcoming – It is our shared belief that tourism can be a positive contributor to thriving cities, adding to their natural, social, cultural, economic resources, and as a connector of people and places.
  • Forwardly Thinking – We are insistent on being forward thinking as we explore new models, approaches, opportunities, technologies, and partnerships, in support of our cities and thriving destination ecosystems.
  • Transparently Impactful – We share a commitment to understand and openly share the impact of the visitor economy, both negative and positive, and continuously strengthening our role as DMOs & CVBs in reducing the first to stimulate the latter.
  • Playfully Curious – We are committed to question and challenge how we think, work, and create value. This will sometimes challenge us with questions we cannot immediately answer. We prefer this any day over answers that cannot be questioned.
  • Collaboratively Together – We are founded on trust and generosity. Sharing, learning, and growing together as destinations and as professionals. In our alliance, the power of community and human connection remains our most valuable superpower.
  • Inclusively Engaging – Both as an alliance and individual member organisations, we are conscious to create place, space and equal opportunity for all. We want our teams to thrive with the creativity, inspiration and pride that comes with equal opportunity, inclusion and diversity across age, gender, sexuality, nationality, religion, and race.

Members know best…

  • I strongly believe that this is the century of the cities is the cities where 80% of the worldwide GDP is created. It's the cities where the talent and the brand capital is. And it's the cities where innovations are driven forward, and solutions will be found. And I also strongly believe that city DNA has a very unique position when it comes to the visitor ecosystem with regards to city development.
    Michael Otremba
    CEO | Hamburg Tourism Board
  • The „WeGeneration“ strategy is a modern and fresh approach on how to grow urban destinations and the Alliance sustainably and how to achieve this in collaboration with all members of CityDNA.
    Susanne Höller
    Head of Destination Marketing | Graz Tourismus
  • The Wegeneration Strategy is a powerful tool to guide CityDNA and its members into the future of urban tourism.
    Tom Bellion
    CEO | Luxembourg City Tourist Office
  • Our new strategy will empower our member Cities to focus on growth which is enhanced by green, diverse and inclusive credentials.  
    Barbara Jamison
    Head of Europe, Tourism and Convention Bureau | London & Partners
  • The new strategy is reflecting the essence of CityDNA. It has been born through a passionate process of fruitful discussions and generous sharing of the diverse expertise and visions of the members, the task force, the knowledge groups and the board.
    Sabine Schwanz
    Director of Travel Trade & Connectivity | Madrid Destino
  • Our industry has changed so much as we accelerate from the COVID pandemic; destinations, suppliers, customers and our visitors.  This new strategy recognises this pivotal moment in time, steering CityDNA to support its members in the navigation of this new era; understanding new measurements and deliverables will be key to supporting our members to deliver for both citizens and visitors.
    Sam Johnston
    Manager | Dublin Convention Bureau

Goals and pillars

As an alliance, we have four strategic goals or motivations – one for each of the four pillars of activities that we do for and with members and partners.

1. INSPIRATION, FORESIGHT & LEADERSHIP

We want to be recognized as the leading forum for regenerative urban tourism in Europe.

2. THE POWER OF OUR COMMUNITY

We want to harness the power of our community for collaborative learning, joint initiatives and collective action.

3. ADVOCACY & PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT

We want to give voice to European city destinations and elevate the role and importance of regenerative tourism on the agenda

4. COMMUNICATION, SALES & ENGAGEMENT

We want to grow and diversify our alliance with more members and with deeper engagement.