2026 Capacity Building Program concludes with city-specific branding and policy strategies developed for 12 member cities across five countries

The Tourism Promotion Organization for Global Cities (TPO) successfully concluded its 2026 TPO Capacity Building Program, held from May 11 to 14 in Busan, the organization announced.

Under the theme “City Tourism Branding – Enhancing Urban Competitiveness,” this year’s program was designed to strengthen the urban tourism branding capabilities of TPO member cities and enhance their capacity to formulate and apply AI-driven tourism policies. The program was structured as a practice-oriented training course that combined theoretical sessions, expert lectures, field-based learning, and city-specific strategy workshops.

A total of 35 participants from 12 TPO member cities and three partner companies joined this year’s program. Participants shared tourism policies and branding cases from their respective cities and discussed strategic approaches to strengthening urban competitiveness through AI and data in a rapidly evolving global tourism environment.

The program featured expert lectures by professionals in the fields of tourism, branding, and artificial intelligence, including representatives from global online travel platform Agoda. The sessions addressed key topics such as global tourism trends, urban tourism branding frameworks, and AI-based tourism policy strategies. Through the lectures, participants explored new ways to reinterpret their cities’ tourism assets and policy directions.

Field-based learning sessions were also conducted at major tourism sites in Busan, including the Busan North Port Redevelopment Promotion Center, Gamcheon Culture Village, Busan Modern & Contemporary History Museum, Songdo Marine Cable Car, and Haedong Yonggungsa Temple. Through these visits, participants gained first-hand insight into Busan’s key tourism offerings, urban regeneration initiatives, marine tourism resources, and historical and cultural assets, while examining how such elements can be applied to city branding strategies.

A key outcome of this year’s program was the development of city-specific branding strategies for each participating city, based on their tourism assets and policy priorities. Participants showed strong interest in leveraging AI to assess their cities’ destination images and translate those findings into actionable tourism policies and promotional strategies. The workshops also generated active discussion as participants worked to connect each city’s unique tourism resources with practical policy directions.

“This year’s Capacity Building Program stood out as a practical training platform that combined urban tourism branding with AI-based policy capacity. It helped lay the groundwork for member cities to respond more proactively to the changing tourism environment.”

“TPO will continue to strengthen the policy capabilities of its member cities and expand inter-city cooperation, further strengthening its role as a global platform for urban tourism collaboration.” -Kang Da-eun, Secretary General of TPO-

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About TPO  |  Tourism Promotion Organization for Global Cities

The Tourism Promotion Organization for Global Cities (TPO) is an international organization in the field of urban tourism, with its Secretariat based in Busan, Republic of Korea. Busan Metropolitan City currently serves as the President City, while Gimhae and Kota Kinabalu serve as Co-President Cities.

Since its establishment in 2002, TPO has grown from its Asia-Pacific foundation into a global urban tourism cooperation platform, bringing together 118 cities and 64 public and private organizations across 18 countries.

Through policy cooperation, joint projects, and knowledge sharing among cities, TPO contributes to positioning tourism as a key strategy for urban competitiveness and sustainable growth. In recent years, the organization has advanced the paradigm of Good Tourism, which aims to generate positive value for urban economies, culture, local communities, and the environment, with a focus on data-driven policy, digital transformation, and sustainable tourism. To this end, TPO operates a range of international cooperation platforms, including its General Assembly, forums, and regional meetings, leading policy exchange among member cities and promoting global cooperation in urban tourism.