1. Common Ground by TOPOSOPHY: Our new podcast series takes flight

This year, we produced and launched the Common Ground podcast: a series that takes a fresh look at the future of our cities and the people shaping them. Each episode features guest speakers from diverse backgrounds across the world — from influential chefs, musicians, and activists to architects, urban planners, politicians, environmentalists, and entrepreneurs. Stay tuned for new episodes to be released in early 2023!

TOPOSOPHY has supported Scotland’s tourism development with various projects over the years, and 2022 was no exception. This time, together with The Travel Foundation we develop a Net Zero action plan to support the country’s journey on the path to an emission-free tourism industry. See what else we’ve worked on across Scotland.

Dine Athens Restaurant Week resumed in 2022 for another edition thanks to popular demand! Three weeks, more than 100 restaurants, and over 30,000 foodie participants says it all. Dine Athens Restaurant Week, in collaboration with Alpha Bank and Mastercard has become the most established gastronomy event in Athens and TOPOSOPHY is proudly bringing it to life every year!

An a 5-month long study, our team analysed the travel trade sector of the future in order to help guide VisitFlanders (a regional DMO in Belgium) together with five Art Cities (Antwerp, Bruges, Ghent, Leuven and Mechelen) in navigating the ever-changing travel trade landscape. As a final result, we developed a strong strategy framework that will position Flanders’ unique offer within a sector that is undergoing continual evolution.

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) turned to us this past year for support in exploring the impact of the pandemic on members of Generation Z. With that, we developed a report called The Impact of COVID-19 on Global Youth: Focus on Asia and Italy, that was launched in July 2022 at the UNWTO’s recent Global Youth Tourism Summit (GYTS) in Italy. The report is available to download from the UNWTO’s e-Library here.

The Taste of Athens, a member of the Taste Festivals family, was back again in the capital of Greece this year to make a splash for 4 days in the heart of summer. Live music, top-notch gastronomy and visits from top chefs made for an unforgettable event. TOPOSOPHY is the licensee of ToA, bringing together 4 production companies, 150 people production staff, 135 people restaurant staff, 12,000+ premium visitors – and we’re proud of making it happen!

In July, our long-lasting partnership with HOTREC reached its most important milestone. The ‘HOTREC Position Paper on EU-wide Regulation of Short-term Rentals’, that TOPOSOPHY brought together, was especially notable following the European Commission's proposal for the Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Act. It followed a dedicated initiative for public consultation on regulations for short-term rentals.

It filled us with great joy and pride that the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA) announced TOPOSOPHY’s Head of Insights, Peter Jordan, as the recipient of the 2022 Hanns Ebensten Hall of Fame award. It’s a prestigious recognition that traditionally goes to longtime IGLTA members who are thought leaders in LGBTQ+ tourism and contribute to the association’s goals.

We are back in Glasgow to refresh the city’s Tourism and Visitor Plan to 2030 where we will be working closely with Glasgow Life and its key partners such as VisitScotland, Scottish Enterprise, Greater Glasgow Hotels Association, and Glasgow’s Leading Attractions. As the city looks ahead, more action is now needed to support Glasgow’s development as a sustainable, inclusive, and accessible tourism destination, and we are honoured and excited to be guiding this work again.

We began helping the island of Syros to put its visitor economy and place branding strategy into action by analysing the main tourism-related issues that the island faces and drafting a strategy in close cooperation with the Municipality of Syros-Ermoupolis. For the next twelve months, we will kickstart implementation of that strategy by supporting the delivery of an action plan that includes 30+ actions over a 3-year period (2023-2025).

Throughout 2022, we've delivered several keynote presentations, workshops, and digital sessions on putting sustainability theory into action to audiences in Belgium, Estonia, Poland, Slovenia, and Greece. Those ideas can then go on to help participants in taking actionable steps in their own places, whether it’s their business or hometown.

The Stay in Athens campaign in recent years was our way of supporting the city’s visitor economy and giving locals the chance to experience Athens differently. This time, in partnership with Mastercard, we extended the opportunity to promote Athens as a city break destination, with exclusive offers across a wide range of notable hotels and exquisite experiences, in a cross-border campaign.

In collaboration with Mastercard, we launched ‘Around the Table’, a unique culinary road trip that brought together chefs, mixologists, and food lovers across Greece. Mastercard cardholders could take advantage of 20 tailor-made zero waste menus along with 5 physical and 2 digital culinary experiences, to celebrate the diverse and exquisite food that Greece has to offer. The entire event was a bold declaration that sustainability doesn’t mean cutting back on quality food and entertaining experiences.

During 2022, the South East Local Enterprise Partnership in the UK has commissioned a range of projects to support the promotion of Essex, Kent and East Sussex – not only to visitors but also to potential new residents, investors, students and other groups that can create value in communities across the region. TOPOSOPHY has been supporting Visit Kent,Visit EssexandSussex Modern with educational workshops on Place Making and Marketing, shaping new place-based campaigns and giving recommendations on long-term collaboration.

We are thrilled to add Ireland to our long list of countries that we have been transforming for the benefit of people and visitors. We will be developing a new visitor economy strategy for South Dublin County in collaboration with KPMG Future Analytics over the course of early 2023. We will also collaborate with CAAS, one of Ireland's longest-established providers of planning and environmental advice, to ensure that the new strategy is aligned with and supports the county's local social and environmental goals.

Starting in late 2022 and working our way into 2023, TOPOSOPHY will be working with the Greek Union of Chambers to analyse and craft actionable recommendations on a national level. We will navigate the sustainability landscape and how it has altered in the post-pandemic era, along with mapping trends to determine where we can help fill in the gaps when it comes to sustainable tourism.

This November, we joined the CEOs of Capital and Major European cities at theCity DNA meeting in Valencia. Our Toposophers delivered an interactive workshop on how DMOs can respond to the global macro-challenges facing cities by challenging the CEOs to think beyond tourism. The session in Valencia was a logical continuation of our research and recommendations for City Destinations Alliance over the last seven years. Findings and recommendations have been summarised in a new report Exploring the Role of the Place Making and Marketing Organisation.

We were content curators for the SETE Conference 2022 in Athens where we hosted a dedicated session powered by TOPOSOPHY. In this session, we heard from destination and hospitality leaders including Valeria Duflot, Jelka Tepšić and Graeme Jackson, who have taken concrete steps to develop their visitor economy in a more holistic way, engage with their local residents in decision making, and consider their needs, as an integral part of developing a thriving visitor economy.

A year packed with development and, of course, milestones couldn’t be possible without growth in the team. In the last year alone, our team of Toposophers grew by 20% as we were joined by various professionals ranging from marketing associates to strategists. And we look forward to increasing that figure in 2023!

At this year’s annual Events Award ceremony in Greece, TOPOSOPHY received numerous awards across several industry categories, particularly standing out for this year’sDine Athens and Taste of Athens events. We were granted a Gold ranking in the category of ‘Integrated Marketing Campaign’ along with being awarded the Silver for ‘Social Media Campaign’, ‘Brand consistency’, and others!

With 2023 around the corner, we already have several exciting projects in the works to launch in 2023. It’s a new year which means we have new things in store for our employees and clients alike – new projects, new destinations, a brand new website coming soon, and even possibly new offices. Follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram to stay posted on everything new to come.

Want to know more about what we’ve been up to? Don’t forget to stay up to date by following us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram or ask us a question anytime at info@toposophy.com!

Finally, to everyone who has followed and supported our work, please accept our warmest wishes and season’s greetings. Join us, as we continue onwards and upwards for 2022!