The Voices of Regenerative Tourism

Not every important conversation about tourism happens on a stage. Some are quieter, more candid, and far more revealing. That was the starting point for WeGenerate, a podcast series created and moderated by Group NAO for City Destinations Alliance (CityDNA) as part of its Welcoming WeGeneration strategy. Focusing on people doing the work on the ground rather than talking in broad abstractions, the series invited listeners into honest conversations with destination leaders, urbanists, researchers, volunteers, and community organisers about what it really takes to create more regenerative tourism futures.

The series explored how destinations can become more meaningful, inclusive, and community-led through themes such as place, preservation, and community. Episodes ranged from public art and cultural storytelling in Nantes, to more inclusive forms of localhood through Migrantour Utrecht, to the difficult politics of cruise tourism in Tórshavn and the Arctic, and the role of resident and volunteer movements in cities such as Liverpool and Aarhus. What tied the series together was a shared conviction that destinations are not shaped by DMOs alone. They are shaped by people who care enough to organise, host, challenge, collaborate, and imagine something better. The podcast gave those voices space, while also helping CityDNA translate its strategic ambitions into a more human and accessible format. And, in the process, it created a conversation platform that extended the life of the Welcoming WeGeneration agenda beyond conferences and documents,  into a format built for reflection, exchange, and hearing from the people already doing the regenerating.