Priorities for European tourism in the coming years
Tourism is playing a central role in the mandate of the current European Parliament: this is best illustrated
by the creation of the Parliamentary Intergroup on European Tourism Development and Cultural
Heritage. European Parliament Intergroups are not easy to create since they require the endorsement of
at least three political groups. Nevertheless, in the process of creating this one, support has not only been
obtained from the leaders of the three groups, but also from 140 MEPs across all the national delegations
and almost all the political groups. This sends a very strong message of support from Parliament to the
tourism industry.
words: Claudia Tapardel
T
he key priorities for
tourism in Europe in
the next few years are
to increase the competiveness of the tourism industry,
and to keep Europe as the world’s
number one tourist destination.
The task of the Intergroup is to raise
awareness of the tourism industry,
and to provide a platform for discussion between the institutions of the
EU and both private sector and civil
society representatives of the member states. This in turn helps us to
shape an integrated approach to the
promotion of European tourism.
As a result of my own discussions
over the past year with many public
and private tourism sector stakeholders and the exchanges of views
which have taken place within our
Intergroup, I can point to the following priorities for tourism.
INSIDER SPECIAL EDITION
1. Raising the profile of the tourism
industry in Europe
Although tourism generates over
10% of the EU’s GDP, this contribution is often neglected by the institutions of the EU themselves. For
example, tourism has no permanent
budget line in the annual or multi-annual budget of the EU. Moreover, its visibility within the European Commission is decreasing.
This is reflected in the cuts in budget
and staff members of the Directorates-General where tourism is dealt
with. This is not the right way to go if
we want to keep Europe as the world
number one destination for tourists.
We in the Parliament are ready to
help. As a Member of the Committee
on Transport and Tourism, I submitted several amendments to the 2016
Budget report asking for the restoration of the budget of programmes
promoting tourism within the
Competitiveness of Enterprises and
Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (COSME) programme. Moreover, my colleagues and I have successfully secured the allocation of half
a million Euros in the EU’s budget
for 2016 specifically for the promotion of Europe across the world via the
pilot project ‘Destination Europe’.
Another initiative I am promoting
in this regard is the nomination of
a European Year of Cultural Heritage and Tourism. This initiative
aims to draw the attention of the EU
to the importance of promoting,
protecting and preserving Europe’s
tourist sites and cultural heritage.
It will also help raise awareness of
the economic contribution made by
the tourism and cultural industries
to job creation, the promotion of
SMEs and the development of infrastructure, among other benefits.
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