Highlights from Destinations International’s First “Global Leaders Forum”

Wednesday, Mar 05, 2025 0

Inaugural event brings together destination promotion CEOs from Europe, North America and other regions

Destinations International (DI) hosted its inaugural Global Leaders Forum in Dublin, Ireland, from February 11-13. The exclusive event drew more than 100 participants, including destination leaders from Europe, North America, Asia-Pacific and other regions. As the world’s leading association representing destination organizations and convention and visitors bureaus (CVBs), Destinations International continues to expand its European destination organization membership, and the Forum marked a new era of global engagement and thought leadership within the travel and tourism industry.

With issues such as overtourism and sustainable travel high on the agenda, there is a growing responsibility placed on destination organizations as brand stewards and catalysts in their communities. The importance of balancing the economic and social benefits of tourism to ensure they benefit visitors and residents alike has never been higher.

The Global Leaders Forum enriched this dialogue with panel sessions, immersive learning opportunities and dynamic roundtable discussions, offering unparalleled insights from world-renowned speakers such as Greg Clark, CBE, FAcSS, an urbanist and advisor on city development, Adrian Cooper, CEO of Oxford Economics, and industry titans in the aviation sector: Michael O’Leary (CEO, Ryanair), Lynne Embleton (CEO, Aer Lingus) and Colm Lacy (CCO, British Airways).

The event explored a range of topics, including the future of aviation, the importance of accessible tourism, the critical role of community engagement in sustainable travel and the growing importance of sporting and business events in advancing and developing vibrant destinations. Overtourism was a topic of discussion, including insights on leveraging responsible tourism to mitigate the impact on high-demand destinations. It was agreed that destinations must prioritize ways to ensure tourism benefits local communities and highlight these benefits to their residents. Furthermore, the forum explored the ways in which tourism can support residents in securing employment and accessing affordable housing. Notably, destinations have been able to learn from one another.

Don Welsh, President & CEO of Destinations International, commented: “Travel has never been more important, with sustainability and responsible tourism becoming top priorities globally. Destinations International is pleased by our growing number of European destinations joining as members and was pleased by the strong interest and outcomes of our first Global Leaders Forum.”

“Attending the Global Leaders Forum was an exceptional experience,” said Mateu Hernández, General Director of BarcelonaTurisme. “It offered the opportunity to hear from industry experts and destination leaders while giving Barcelona Tourism the chance to share our new ‘This is Barcelona’ strategy that aligns with our values and challenges as a top global urban destination.”

“I was delighted to attend the Global Leaders Forum,” said Corinne Menegaux, Director-General of the Office du Tourisme et des Congrès de Paris. “Senior executives generously sharing their thoughts and insights provided the exceptional content that made this event a great experience.”