CityDNA
Reputation, trust and Europe’ s visitor economy: a CEO perspective
CITYDNA PRESIDENT BARBARA JAMISON-WOODS LOOKS AHEAD TO THE BODY’ S CEO MEETING IN BARCELONA IN FEBRUARY.
C ity Destinations Alliance
will gather city DMO leaders in Barcelona from 9-10 February 2026 for its 19th CityDNA CEO Meeting, under the theme“ Leading Europe’ s Visitor Economy: Reputation, Community Trust & Global Competitiveness.”
DMO CEOs are invited to join host Mateu Hernández, CEO of Turisme de Barcelona, along with guest speakers Professor Greg Clark, urban expert and co-founder of The Business of Cities, and Christopher Imbsen, VP policy at the World Travel & Tourism Council( WTTC).
Barbara Jamison-Woods, president of City Destinations Alliance, discusses why this edition matters and what CEOs can expect from one-and-a-half days of high-level engagement.
Why is the 19th CityDNA CEO Meeting a must-attend event? Barbara Jamison-Woods: Our CEO Meeting is an intimate, high-level forum for CEOs, subject to Chatham House Rules. This format allows leaders to speak candidly about priority and sensitive topics, including funding, the political landscape, trends and competitiveness, with this year’ s focus on reputation management.
Why does this CityDNA CEO Meeting feel significant at the start of 2026? BJW: Our CEO Meeting takes place at the beginning of the year, when strategic decisions must be made.
The visitor economy remains an essential driver of investment, job creation and growth. Our aim is for our CEO attendees to leave with two or three ideas they can effectively implement in their 2026 strategy.
This year’ s theme focuses on reputation, community trust and competitiveness. How will that be integrated into the programme? BJW: Professor Greg Clark will examine how city reputation is now shaped by liveability, investment, and the combined impact of the visitor economy. He will also, together with Mateu Hernández, share the results of Barcelona’ s tourism reputation project. Christopher Imbsen, VP, policy, at WTTC, will bring a global policy lens on how sustainability, resilience, and freedom of movement are redefining destination expectations.
Throughout, we’ ll be addressing the key challenges and opportunities identified in our recent Tórshavn Declaration, from new success metrics to digital transformation and resident inclusion.
Why should non-member CEOs join this edition? BJW: It’ s a very efficient way to discover our city DMO community at the CEO level. They can benchmark their city against others and connect with peers facing similar issues. Several of our current members first joined CityDNA after attending a CEO Meeting as non-members and realising,“ These are my people.”
What would success look like for you in Barcelona? BJW: For me, success starts with our CEOs leaving Barcelona with fresh ideas they can take back home and turn into action. The expertise of our CEO attendees will enable CityDNA to integrate concrete takeaways into our 2026 action plan. This, together with the priorities identified in our Tórshavn Declaration at our Autumn Conference, will benefit the wider membership. Key issues and opportunities will be addressed in depth through our network of Knowledge Groups and included in our series of Expert Meetings, activities, and communications. n
n Registration and practical details for the 19th CityDNA CEO Meeting in Barcelona are available via the City Destinations Alliance website.
ISSUE 140 / CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD / 23