English (UK) 
Español 
Português 
中文 
日本語 
The third meeting of the Sustainable Smart Tourism Community of Practice (CoP) under the International Urban and Regional Cooperation (IURC) programme was held on 12 February 2026, marking a key step in advancing the partnership’s Urban Cooperation Action Plan (UCAP) and preparing cities for the next phase of technical exchange and pilot development. Convened by Paolo Guarnieri from the Municipality of Prato, the session brought together partner cities from Europe and Asia to confirm cooperation timelines, refine knowledge-sharing mechanisms, and align on upcoming deep dive sessions and study visits that will shape practical implementation throughout 2026 and 2027.
Advancing sustainable and smart tourism cooperation
The Community of Practice continues to focus on building a sustainable and smart tourism model capable of reducing environmental and climate impacts while strengthening local governance and community participation. Cities also reaffirmed their shared commitment to co-designing resilient tourism experiences through digital innovation, green mobility solutions, organic ecosystem approaches, and inclusive stakeholder engagement. Participants highlighted the importance of transitioning from short-term stopover tourism toward stay-oriented and place-based tourism, ensuring that growth supports cultural heritage preservation and local economic resilience.
Deep dive technical sessions to drive peer learning
A central outcome of the meeting was the confirmation of Deep Dive Online Technical Sessions (DDOTS) as the core peer-learning format for the partnership. Beginning in March 2026, each city will host a structured one-hour technical webinar featuring case studies, interactive discussions, and action planning components designed to translate knowledge into practical solutions. The sessions will follow a common structure consisting of a brief introduction, case study presentations, plenary discussion, and collaborative action planning. Importantly, cities agreed that presentations should include lessons learned from challenges and failures in addition to successful experiences, strengthening the practical value of the exchange.
Each deep dive session will generate a set of outputs—including recordings, factsheets, SWOT analyses, and pilot ideas—that will be compiled into a shared knowledge library accessible to the wider community. Seberang Perai was confirmed as the host of the first deep dive session, focusing on smart destination intelligence and digital innovation for tourism management.
Study visits to support pilot development
Cities reviewed the roadmap for Advanced Cooperation Missions (study visits) scheduled between June and November 2026, which will combine technical learning with hands-on pilot development. The first visit will take place in Seberang Perai from 16–18 June 2026, organised back-to-back with the Singapore World City Summit to optimise travel resources. These five-day missions will include conferences, best-practice site visits, technical workshops, and dedicated working sessions aimed at refining pilot projects. Participants agreed that study visits should be justified by concrete implementation interests and should result in clear roadmaps for follow-up action. A preliminary agenda presented by Seberang Perai highlighted immersive tourism experiences, nature-based solutions, and cultural heritage initiatives, with additional working sessions to be incorporated to strengthen pilot collaboration.
Competitive fund opportunities
The meeting also provided important guidance on the IURC Competitive Fund, which will support pilot actions and stakeholder-driven cooperation activities that extend beyond standard study visits. Cities were encouraged to apply early across the available funding rounds and to demonstrate clear stakeholder engagement, co-financing contributions, and transferability of results. A proposal from Jeonju to leverage the fund in connection with the Future City Forum 2026 was discussed as a potential opportunity to deepen knowledge exchange on nighttime tourism and heritage clustering while strengthening collaboration with external networks and experts.
Strengthening coordination and knowledge exchange
To support continuous collaboration between formal meetings, cities agreed to rely on shared digital platforms for document development and coordination. The UCAP will be collaboratively refined through a shared workspace, while ongoing communication will be facilitated through dedicated messaging channels. Participants also discussed the role of SWOT analyses and follow-up technical sessions in assessing cities’ readiness to implement solutions presented during the deep dive sessions. While SWOT exercises will primarily be conducted by cities pursuing pilot development, partners highlighted their value as a broader self-assessment tool across the network.
Final steps toward UCAP submission
The meeting concluded with a clear timeline for finalising the Urban Cooperation Action Plan. Cities were requested to update their contributions by 20 February 2026, identifying local challenges, strengths, and proposed pilot concepts centred on digital innovation, climate resilience, and community participation. A final review meeting is scheduled for 26 February 2026, ahead of the official UCAP submission deadline on 28 February 2026, which will mark the transition from planning to implementation.
Looking ahead
With the cooperation roadmap now confirmed, the Sustainable Tourism CoP is entering a phase focused on practical experimentation, pilot implementation, and measurable outcomes. The combination of deep dive sessions, study visits, and competitive fund opportunities is expected to accelerate city-to-city learning and generate scalable approaches for sustainable tourism governance. As cities prepare for the first technical session and upcoming study visits, the partnership continues to demonstrate how structured international cooperation can support innovative, inclusive, and climate-responsive tourism development.