Today's travellers are choosing memories over material possessions - and Europe's experience economy is where that shift lives. Tour operators, activity providers, local guides, cultural institutions, heritage sites, and online travel platforms (OTAs) all work to turn that demand into something authentic, valuable, and sustainable.

Until 2024, this sector had no shared voice in front of the people who write its rules. The European Experience Alliance was founded to change that. We bring the sector together - from independent guides to some of Europe's largest sightseeing brands, from national heritage institutions to the platforms travellers use to discover them - into one alliance that speaks directly to policymakers, regulators, and industry stakeholders shaping the digital economy.

We're a convener. The Alliance builds the evidence base, the relationships, and the room where the sector tackles its shared challenges together: a discovery landscape reshaped by AI, growing dependence on a handful of search and ad platforms, and the policies deciding who gets to compete on a level playing field.

The European Experience Alliance is managed by iconomy, a Berlin-based consultancy working toward free, sovereign and competitive European innovation economy.

Our previous work

In 2024, we united experience providers from across Europe in Brussels and held a pivotal meeting with the European Commission. Our mission: to establish a level playing field for all. Armed with compelling evidence and robust data on Google’s Travel Ads strategies, these experience providers influenced the EU’s stance against unfair competition. Our presentations shared the true stories of small-business owners and the creative minds driving our industry.

Thanks to our intervention, we have made EU regulators rethink their regulatory approach to make Google’s search and discovery fairer.