How is the world of travel and tourism changing? Before she joins us as one of the City Nation Place Awards judges, Gloria Loree, SVP & Chief Marketing Officer for Destination Canada, outlines how a loyalty programme created the space to re-engage prospective travellers in the country, how Destination Canada are collaborating with their Indigenous Tourism partners, and a few of her personal predictions for the future.

Your diaspora can be a hugely positive force in how you build your reputation and amplify your values. We spoke with Diane Edwards, President of Jamaica Promotions Corporation [JAMPRO] and one of our 2022 City Nation Place Awards judges, to understand how they engage the Jamaican diaspora in the economic development of their home nation. 

Julie Coker, President & CEO of San Diego Tourism Authority, outlines how they're helping event organizers navigate the new normal post-COVID and what you can do to connect your visitors to the lifeblood of your city.

We’re delighted to have Liina Maria Lepik, Director of the Estonian Tourist Board, as one of our judges for the City Nation Place Awards. Ahead of the judging, we caught up with her to understand how Estonia’s place brand connects different stakeholders under a single brand vision, and how they’re talking about their sustainable values.

From a viral karaoke song to a tongue-in-cheek take on the Metaverse, Iceland’s campaigns regularly catch the attention of the world. But what happens behind the scenes to create this success? Sveinn Birkir Björnsson, Director of Global Marketing Communications at Business Iceland, shares his expertise – and gives an insight into what he’d be looking for as a member of our 2022 City Nation Place Awards jury.

Before he joins us in Pittsburgh for City Nation Place Americas on May 11-12^th, Adam Burke, CEO of Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board, shares how they’re collaborating with stakeholders across the city to deliver a greater quality of life for their residents.

What’s the key to creating a successful data strategy that measures the impact of your communications and allows you to refine your long-term strategic plan? We reached out to Constanza Cea, CEO, & Guadalupe Zegers, Head of Research at Imagen de Chile, to get the behind-the-scenes information on the strategy that won our 2021 Best Use of Data Award.

For a smaller city or region, it can be hard to make an impact on the international stage. You need to identify a really strong, authentic impetus for your place brand strategy to stand out from the crowd. John Fogde, Head of the Struer City of Sound Department, explains how they developed the positioning for the Danish city and how being known as the City of Sound gives them the edge in their activities.

Getting stakeholders to understand your vision can be a challenge at the best of times. Sweden’s solution to engaging stakeholders in your sustainability strategy? Storytelling. Per Grankvist, Chief Storyteller for the government-funded initiative, Viable Cities, explained to us how they’re pioneering a new approach to driving more sustainable change and how a local-centric approach is key to successfully changing behaviour.

With COP 26 top of the agenda worldwide, we reached out to Dario Nardella, Mayor of Florence and President of Eurocities, to understand what role cities are taking on in the recovery and how collaboration and clear values are paving the path to success for cities around the world.