From AI to Resilience: Destination Leaders Gather in Geneva to Explore What's Next
Destinations International's 2026 Global Leaders Forum highlights trust, collaboration and the value of travel as forces shaping communities worldwide
POTOMAC FALLS, Va. , Oct. 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Destination leaders from around the world concluded the 2026 Destinations International Global Leaders Forum in Geneva, Switzerland, with a clear message: the role of destination organizations is expanding, and their future success will increasingly depend on their ability to create value beyond visitor volume, adapt to disruption and lead through influence and collaboration.
Held September 22–24, the 2nd annual invitation-only Forum brought together senior destination executives and industry leaders from more than 52 countries for three days of candid discussion about the economic, geopolitical, technological and societal forces reshaping destinations and global travel.
Organized by Destinations International (DI) with the support of host destination Geneva Tourism & Conventions Foundation, the Forum focused not only on the challenges facing destinations, but on how leaders can respond and how their strategies, leadership models and measures of success must evolve. The event was made possible with support from: IMEX, Granicus Destinations, Google, Miles Partnership, MMGY Global, TIKI and Warner Bros. Discovery.
"The conversations in Geneva underscored how quickly the environment around destinations is changing," said Don Welsh, president & CEO of Destinations International. "Destination organizations have an opportunity to lead that change, but doing so requires us to think more broadly about the value we create, the stakeholders we serve and the influence we bring to our communities."
From Visitor Volume to Destination Value
One of the strongest themes emerging from Geneva was the need to define destination success more broadly. Traditional measures such as visitor arrivals, room nights and spending remain important, but destination organizations increasingly need to demonstrate the value they create for the wider destination economy and community.
That means thinking not only about competition for visitors, but also about the flow of investment, talent, ideas, innovation and other resources that contribute to the long-term strength of a place.
Other key conclusions from the Forum included:
- Resilience means adaptation, not restoration. Destinations need to proactively build relationships with influential stakeholders over time to build resiliency, as well as use disruption and pressure to become more agile and inventive rather than simply attempting to return to previous conditions.
- Access is increasingly a policy issue. Connectivity is being shaped by geopolitics, government policy, infrastructure, climate and other forces often beyond a destination's direct control.
- Travel demand remains strong, but its distribution is changing. Destinations need to understand how demand is shifting across markets, channels and relationships and adapt accordingly.
- AI is changing the destination "front door." As artificial intelligence reshapes how people discover and evaluate places, destination organizations need to understand and influence how their destinations are represented across emerging digital platforms.
- Leadership increasingly depends on influence. Destination organizations can help orchestrate change by convening and coordinating partners, building trust and demonstrating shared value rather than relying on formal authority.
Geneva itself offered a powerful example of the last point. Its longstanding reputation for neutrality, reliability and international cooperation illustrates how trust built over time can become a form of destination "soft power," strengthening influence and international relationships.
From Major Events to Lasting Experiences
Vancouver provided another practical example of the evolving destination role.
As a host city for 2026 FIFA World Cup matches, Destination Vancouver developed the idea of repurposing World Cup goal nets as hammocks, connecting sports fandom with Vancouver's broader research-based "urban rejuvenation" positioning. Royce Chwin, president & CEO of Destination Vancouver, presented a hammock to Adrien Genier, CEO of the Geneva Tourism & Convention Foundation – a particularly meaningful gesture as the Swiss team played in Vancouver during the FIFA World Cup.
The example highlighted how destinations can leverage major events not simply to generate visitation, but to reinforce a distinctive identity and create experiences with a life beyond the event itself.
Collaboration Without Borders
The Forum also took participants to CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, where thousands of experts from around the world collaborate around a shared purpose.
Participants explored parallels between CERN's model and destination leadership, including trust, international cooperation and the value created when different cultures, disciplines and perspectives come together.
The experience reinforced a central conclusion from Geneva: many of the forces reshaping destinations cross borders, and destinations have much to gain by sharing ideas and solutions internationally.
"No destination has all the answers," said Gretchen Hall, chief operating officer at Destinations International. "Geneva reminded us that some of the best ideas emerge when we bring different experiences and perspectives together. We are incredibly grateful to CEO Adrien Genier and his team at the Geneva Tourism & Conventions Foundation for their extraordinary hospitality and partnership in hosting the Forum. Their support gave participants the opportunity to experience firsthand the institutions, culture and spirit of international collaboration that make Geneva such a distinctive global destination."
The 2026 gathering builds on Destinations International's inaugural Global Leaders Forum, held in Dublin, Ireland, in 2025, and reflects DI's continued growth as a global association connecting destination leaders across borders. The 3rd Annual Global Leaders Forum will take place in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, during 2027. Dates will be announced in coming weeks.
For more information about Destinations International and the Global Leaders Forum, visit destinationsinternational.org.
About Destinations International
Destinations International is the world's largest and most trusted resource for destination organizations, convention and visitors bureaus (CVBs) and tourism boards. With more than 11,000 members and partners from over 800 destinations, the association represents a powerful forward-thinking and collaborative community around the world. For more information, visit www.destinationsinternational.org.
SOURCE Destinations International
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