TOPOSOPHY

When a crisis hits a destination, the difference between chaos and a coordinated response often comes down to one thing: preparation.

That’s what the Crisis Preparedness Hub is built for. Developed by TOPOSOPHY for the European Travel Commission, it gives National Tourism Organisations and Destination Management Organisations practical, ready-to-use tools to prepare for, respond to, and recover from the crises facing European tourism, from wildfires and floods to political unrest and perception shocks.

The Hub includes four bespoke playbooks:
🌍 Environmental: wildfires, floods, heatwaves and storms.
🏛️ Geo-Political: unrest, diplomatic tension and the perception crises that move travellers even when they’re far from any real risk.
💻 Technological: cyber incidents, system outages and digital disruption.
📉 Socio-Economic: economic shocks, cost-of-living pressures and social instability.

Inside the Hub: Each playbook is built around four connected phases (Preparedness, Response, Recovery and Resilience) with resources teams can adapt to any mandate or budget:

✅A Crisis Quick-Reference Checklist for fast, coordinated action
✅Real-world case studies drawn from destinations that have faced crisis firsthand
✅Fillable Communications Response Plan templates for messaging under pressure
✅A Crisis Recovery Roadmap to evaluate, adapt and rebuild confidence
✅A resilience framework to Train, Invest, Collaborate & Innovate

No destination is immune from crisis. But every destination can be ready, and lead with clarity when it matters most.

🔗 Explore the Hub Yourself: https://www.etc-crisishub.org/

Today our Director of Destination Strategy, Barry Rogers delivered a webinar for our partners HOTREC.

The webinar focused on the latest news, market sh*ts and regulatory developes surrounding the Short Term Rental market and its impact on European Hospitality.

Key insights from today's webinar.
-Key Trends in STR Supply and Demand
-EU Commission and Regulation Updates
-Consumer behaviour and visitor analysis
-Mayor platform updates and market movements

TOPOSOPHY has been proud to officially support HOTREC for the last 11 years.

We look forward to our continued partnership and shared insights.

Toposophy is delighted to mark the launch of the Mayo Outdoor Recreation Plan 2025-2030, the first County Outdoor Recreation Plan for Mayo, developed in collaboration with Mayo County Council, Mayo Sports Partnership and the County Outdoor Recreation Committee.

Mayo's wild and rugged landscapes, beaches, National Park, Greenways and trails are purpose-built for outdoor recreation. This Plan provides the strategic roadmap to realise that potential over the next five years, in balance with nature.

Vision 2030: More people participating in and enjoying outdoor recreation responsibly.

What the Plan Delivers: Working with a wide range of stakeholders, we shaped 20 strategic actions aligned to the National Outdoor Recreation Strategy 2023-2027, across six priorities:

✅ Leadership & Collaboration through formalised strategic partnerships
✅ Environment, embedding sustainability and Biodiversity Net Gain principles
✅ Awareness, with cohesive destination marketing and signage
✅ Opportunities, including accessibility audits and targeted participation programmes
✅ Infrastructure & Access, from the Erris Peninsula to coastal sea kayaking and mountain biking
✅ Expertise & Impact, building sector capacity and data-driven decision making

Our Focus

Help create a shared vision with clear strategic priorities with people and place focused outcomes which positions Mayo as a leading outdoor destination.

Are you ready to take your first steps into the world of marketing, research, and destination strategy?
At TOPOSOPHY, we are proud to once again support the Internship Program by and WHEN, an initiative that transforms women’s empowerment into real professional opportunities.
Through a paid internship, you will have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience, collaborate with our team, and build the foundations for your next career step.
Apply now through the Live A Legacy Internship Program 2026.

https://when.org.gr/events/to-live-a-legacy-epistrefei-dinontas-foni-se-istories-poy-empneoyn/

Huge congratulations to Laura, the whole Visit Timișoara team. Three awards in one night is a brilliant result, and a real reflection of the work the team has put in over the past few years.

It has been a pleasure getting to know the city and the team over recent years, through our research, the many conversations with residents, businesses and partners and stakeholder workshops. The energy, ambition and curiosity you have mentioned is exactly what we have felt throughout our partnership. This recognition is thoroughly deserved!

Looking forward to continuing our collaboration together, enjoy the celebrations!

Congratulations from the whole TOPOSOPHY team.

This week, our CEO Manolis Psarros, will be attending the Brand Finance Place Brand Forum 2026 in London, an exclusive gathering of global leaders exploring how place perceptions shape the performance of nation, region, city, and corporate brands around the world.

As destinations, organisations, and places continue to compete for attention and relevance, the forum offers a valuable platform to exchange insights on brand strategy, reputation, and the power of purposeful positioning.

If you’re attending the Brand Finance Place Brand Forum 2026, we’d be glad to connect and discuss the future of place branding, destination competitiveness, and sustainable growth.

Our our most recent CNP expert article by our Director of Destination Strategy, Barry Rogers focuses on the highly relevant topic of visitor levies.

Whats included:
- A short history of visit levies, taxes and tariffs.

- How different destinations have approached introducing visitor levies.

- An overview of the current situation in the UK and Ireland.

- The impact on traveller choice and behaviour.

- Best practice and emerging models of governance.

-10 ways to ensure visitor levies are developed sustainably and equitably.

👉 Read more here: https://www.citynationplace.com/who-pays-the-bill-getting-visitor-levies-right-for-places-and-people

Last week our Director of Destination Strategy, Barry Rogers, delivered the keynote at the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation meeting in Frankfurt, Germany, sharing findings from our latest report on the impact of AI on Irish tourism.

The headline? AI isn't just another tech trend, it's a structural shift in how visitors discover, plan and book their trips. With 1 in 3 travellers already using AI to research destinations, the shop window for Irish tourism is changing fast.

A few takeaways from the research:

- Tourism SMEs need targeted support to become "AI-ready" structured, machine-readable content is the new baseline for visibility
- Ireland doesn't need a standalone AI & Tourism strategy; AI should be embedded across existing tourism, enterprise and digital strategies
-The single biggest risk is reduced visibility for businesses that aren't AI-present at the point of inspiration
- International leaders like Singapore and the Nordics show what coordinated, data-led action looks like

Huge thanks to ITIC for the warm welcome and the lively discussion that followed.

Dionisia Koutsi, Research Analyst and Destination Strategy & Marketing at TOPOSOPHY, reflects on the role of citizen-led research in shaping authentic and resilient destination narratives.

Drawing on work across Timișoara, Dublin, Rhodes, Santorini, and Belfast, she highlights how engaging with local voices reveals the layered realities of place. From thousands of resident and visitor touchpoints to uncovering gaps between perception and lived experience, this approach moves beyond simplified storytelling to embrace the richness of multiple perspectives.

At its core, citizen-led research is not about resolving differences, but about identifying the common threads that connect them. In a global tourism landscape defined by scale, this depth of understanding is what allows destinations to build identities that are both distinctive and grounded.

💭 “Authentic destination identity begins when we listen to residents; uncovering not one story, but the threads that connect different experiences of place.”

Dr. Dionisia Koutsi

👉 Read more https://www.citynationplace.com/banishing-beige-six-tips-for-avoiding-cliched-bland-place-narratives