Artificial intelligence had its own place on the programme of the CityDNA Summer School in Dijon, particularly during Jonathan Easton’s session on the technology and AI revolution. What interested me more, however, was how often AI appeared elsewhere during the week. It came into discussions about bidding, corporate clients, destination discovery, sustainability, data, PCOs and the future role of convention bureaux. That probably says more about where we are with AI than any individual presentation could. AI is gradually becoming part of the normal operating environment of the business-events industry. We are moving beyond individual AI use Most destination organisations have already experimented with generative AI. Employees use it for writing, summarising documents, translating, researching, developing ideas and preparing presentations. These applications can save considerable time, although they rarely change the organisation itself. The more interesting development is what happen...

I spent this week in Dijon at the 40th City Destinations Alliance Summer School, surrounded by people working across convention bureaus, associations, PCOs, corporate meetings, sustainability, technology and destination development. The programme covered a lot of ground, from bidding and client expectations to inclusion, legacy, AI and the changing role of convention bureaux. Across these discussions, a fairly coherent picture of the business-events industry emerged. Convention bureaus are moving beyond selling destination product. Increasingly, our role is to understand what an organisation wants to achieve, determine whether our destination has something relevant to contribute, bring the right people together locally and demonstrate afterwards what the meeting actually achieved. The right meeting can be more valuable than the biggest meeting For years, much of the business-events discussion has been dominated by delegate numbers, hotel nights and economic impact. Those indicators...

The trend room session on artificial intelligence at CityDNA Helsinki was short by conference standards, but it carried more weight than its format suggested. Organised as the first step in a wider CityDNA conversation that will continue with an online workshop in June and a white paper in the autumn, the panel brought together Joshua Ryan Saha from the University of Edinburgh's Futures Institute, Stefan Kapel from Austria Tourism, and Jonathan, co-founder of Give Me and the network's AI partner. The framing was deliberate. This was not a session about whether AI matters for destination management. That debate is closing. The more precise question raised in the room was what happens when the architecture of discovery itself starts to change, and when the destination website, long the central asset of most DMOs, ceases to be where the first conversation with the traveller takes place. The website is no longer the front door The data presented in the room was not dramatic in i...

The International Conference and General Assembly of City Destinations Alliance, held this year in Helsinki under the theme "The Human Pulse of Place and Purpose," concluded on 22 April with a Board election that brings several new members into the network's governance. Leena Lassila from Helsinki Partners, Marie-Louise Schnurpfeil from Linz Tourismus, and I were elected as Board Members for three-year terms. Gerry Lennon from Visit Belfast was re-elected, and Maya Janssen from Amsterdam & Partners was elected Vice-President for a one-year mandate. The continuing Executive Committee, led by Barbara Jamison-Woods as President, was confirmed in its composition. For me, this is a moment worth pausing on. Joining the Board of CityDNA is an honour, and equally an invitation to contribute more actively to a network I have long respected and learned from. It also arrives at a particularly interesting point in the wider conversation about what European city destinations are ...

  This January marks the beginning of a long journey I’ve been preparing for over many years. I’ve officially started my PhD, and as part of the process, I’ve committed to documenting the road ahead. This is not just for myself but also for others working in tourism, place-making, and digital strategy. This isn’t a formal progress report. It’s more like a public journal entry that reflects what it means to transition from full-time practitioner to part-time researcher without stepping out of the professional role. My research focuses on how artificial intelligence (AI) can be used in tourism in a way that respects local values, strengthens regional governance, and builds trust among both visitors and residents. To make that concrete, I’m developing something called the AI Readiness and Ethical Targeting Toolkit , or AIRETT . The goal is to support destination marketing organisations (DMOs), especially those in rural  regions like Northern Finland, in making informed, ...

The future of destination marketing is unfolding before our eyes, and artificial intelligence (AI) is leading the charge. AI is no longer a futuristic concept—it is a transformative tool redefining how cities, regions, and countries attract, engage, and retain visitors. At the recent CityDNA CEO Meeting in Monaco , industry expert Sam Benini delivered a compelling lecture on AI’s role in tourism, offering insights into the technology’s economic impact, applications, and challenges. At Visit Oulu , we are not just observing these changes—we are actively shaping them. Our team is deeply engaged in studying AI opportunities for tourism marketing , with the ambition of positioning Oulu as a trailblazer in AI-driven destination promotion . To push this vision forward, we are participating in AI Opener for Destinations by Group NAO , a groundbreaking initiative exploring AI’s role in the future of travel. AI’s Role in Destination Marketing Benini’s lecture painted a vivid picture of AI’s t...

I am happy to share that I am embarking on a new chapter in my academic and professional journey: pursuing a PhD! My first step in this journey is completing the Diploma in Advanced Research, a foundational milestone that will equip me with the skills and knowledge necessary to delve deeper into the world of academic exploration. As I begin this journey, I am particularly inspired by the intersection of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and sustainability in the context of Destination Management Organizations (DMOs). Tourism is a dynamic and ever-changing industry, and I believe that DMOs play a pivotal role in shaping its future. However, there are still significant research gaps in understanding how AI can be harnessed to optimize resource management, reduce environmental footprints, and promote responsible tourism. My goal is to identify a PhD thesis topic that bridges these gaps, creating a body of work that is both academically valuable and practically impactful. I am particularly moti...