Bringing cities into the room: the role of the Sustainable Tourism Partnership in the first European Commission Technical Dialogue

On 22 April in Copenhagen, the European Commission will host its first Technical Dialogue on balanced tourism management, bringing together city representatives, experts and EU services to work through how tourism is governed in practice across European destinations.

The timing is not accidental. Tourism in European cities is becoming increasingly complex, shaped by sustainability requirements, digital transition, accessibility needs and uneven visitor flows. These pressures are already being managed at local level, often through trial, adaptation and coordination across departments and governance levels.

What the dialogue introduces is a more structured way of bringing this experience into the European policy space.

A collective contribution, not a collection of cases

The Urban Agenda for the EU Partnership on Sustainable Tourism contributes to this discussion with a particular strength: it reflects a shared agenda built across cities with very different realities.

Within the Partnership, tourism plays a different role depending on the local context. In some cities, the focus is on managing pressure and regulating flows. In others, tourism remains a key driver for economic development and requires further support and diversification. Working across these perspectives has led to an approach that does not rely on a single model, but on common principles that can be adapted locally.

This is reflected in the Partnership’s Action Plan, which addresses tourism through multiple entry points: diversification, accessibility, governance, skills and local economic ecosystems, all contributing to a more balanced development of the sector.

Structuring experience into input

In Copenhagen, the Partnership’s contribution focuses on connecting these different strands into a coherent position on balanced tourism management.

Rather than presenting individual actions, the emphasis is placed on how cities:

distribute tourism flows in time and space
strengthen local economies through tourism
improve accessibility and inclusiveness
navigate governance constraints and coordination challenges

This perspective is supported by ongoing work, including insights collected from cities through surveys and implementation activities. It allows the Partnership to bring forward input that is grounded, comparative and directly applicable.

Linking local practice with European frameworks

The dialogue feeds into the preparation of the EU Strategy for Sustainable Tourism and the development of Commission guidelines on balanced tourism management.

This creates a direct connection between local experience and European policy development. Cities are contributing with concrete measures, while EU institutions are working towards frameworks that can support their implementation more effectively.

The role of the Partnership sits precisely at this intersection. It organises input from different cities into a structured contribution, helping to ensure that local realities are reflected in emerging policy tools.

A shared direction

Tourism in European cities is evolving within broader urban dynamics. It interacts with housing, mobility, public space and local economies, requiring continuous coordination and adjustment.

The Copenhagen dialogue brings this reality into focus. The contribution of the Sustainable Tourism Partnership lies in making this complexity readable and actionable, based on work that has already been developed collectively.

In that sense, its role goes beyond participation. It helps shape how balanced tourism is understood, discussed and eventually supported at European level.

Stay tuned to the Sustainable Tourism webpage for the highlights of this first Technical Dialogue!