The City Destinations Alliance International Conference & General Assembly 2025 will bring together over 200 leisure and business tourism professionals in Budapest, 9-11 April. The theme of this year’s conference, ‘Beyond Boundaries: Driving Tourism’s Business Transformation’, is designed, the alliance says, to help push the industry to rethink traditional models and explore how destinations can embrace change to stay ahead in an era of rapid transformation.
As destinations navigate shifting visitor expectations, sustainability imperatives, and the disruptive force of AI and digitalisation, the conference will aim to provide a blueprint for future success.
Reflecting on enhancing Europe’s global competitiveness, in a ‘From policies to practice’ session, Barbara Jamison-Woods, president of City Destinations Alliance, and Dr Eduardo Santander, CEO of the European Travel Commission, will explore the topic of how European destinations can secure their place on the global stage – attracting visitors, talent, and investment while remaining authentic and sustainable.
Building on this perspective, a Transformative Strategies for Tourism session will highlight how cities can move beyond traditional tourism management models. Norbert Kettner, CEO of the Vienna Tourist Board, will present Vienna’s pioneering Visitor Economy approach, which sees tourism as a driver of economic diversification, social cohesion, and sustainability-driven urban growth.
This transformation isn’t just theoretical: Vienna is actively redefining success beyond visitor numbers in collaboration with UN Tourism, setting an example for destinations worldwide.
The conference will also delve into sessions entitled, ‘Reimagining the Visitor Experience: A Data-Driven, People-Centric Future’ and ‘Destination Success: Creating Wealth & Well-being for Our Communities’, where Gracen Chungath, senior vice‑president, Destination Development of Destination Canada and Dr. Rachel Dodds, professor at Toronto Metropolitan University will introduce alternative metrics, such as resident sentiment, overtourism management, and environmental impact, to ensure tourism benefits both visitors and locals.
Engaging local communities is a key ingredient in creating authentic, memorable experiences, as will be explored in ‘Hospitality Starts at Home: How Locals Can Enhance the Tourist Experience’. Here, travel writer Doug Lansky will challenge outdated approaches to visitor engagement and propose fresh strategies to position locals at the heart of tourism.
In ‘Smarter Cities, Smarter Tourism,’ Sam Beni, founder & CEO of Platin Ventures, will demonstrate how AI, predictive analytics, and hyper-personalisation are reshaping tourism marketing, visitor engagement, and city planning. Sustainability and climate action will feature large, of course, and the topic of ‘Tourism as a Force for Social Impact Social Impact’.
“The CityDNA International Conference in Budapest is an unmissable opportunity to challenge conventional thinking and embrace new models for tourism management,” says Barbara Jamison-Woods. “By pushing beyond boundaries, we can collectively drive innovation, sustainability, and resilience in city tourism.”
For more details on the programme, speakers, and registration, visit citydestinationsalliance.eu
