The Regeneration Generation

In 2023, City Destinations Alliance (CityDNA) partnered with Group NAO to co-create Welcoming WeGeneration – a bold, member-driven strategy process to guide European city destinations through the next four years of transformation. Building on CityDNA’s then-recent rebranding from European Cities Marketing to City Destinations Alliance, the strategy marks a decisive shift from a traditional visitor economy and destination marketing model to a regenerative visitor ecosystem.

Structured around four strategic pillars – leadership, community, advocacy, and engagement – the strategy introduces a suite of new initiatives including the CityDNA Leadership Forum, thematic education programs, regenerative data partnerships, and a WEGENERATION resource centre, offering a movement framework that invites destinations to "walk the talk" on sustainability and social value, equipping them to navigate pressing contemporary challenges with foresight, creativity, and purpose. With measurable goals in place, the strategy is helping to redefine tourism’s role in European cities beyond the overriding imperative of economic growth. It champions the holistic idea of regeneration – that tourism must leave places better than they were before.