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The EU needs an Act declaring a policy for tourism as an engine of investment, employment, growth and Member States' Development.

Declaration of Policy: The EU would declare tourism as an indispensable element of the European economy and an industry of interest and importance, which must be harnessed as an engine of socio-economic growth and cultural affirmation to generate investment, revenues and employment, and to continue to mold an enhanced sense of national pride for all EU citizens.

 Towards this end, the EU would seek to:

Tourism is one of the EU’s most valuable industries! Tourism translates into jobs and it translates into economic growth! When considering how the EU can recover economically and create jobs, it is important to recognize the opportunities presented by the tourism sector!

On 22.9.2015, the European Parliament Committee on Transport and Tourism published a Report (Rapporteur Isabella De Monte) on new challenges and concepts for the promotion of tourism in Europe.

Comments

This Report was made public on 22/09/2015 and was submitted by Isabella De Monte, Rapporteur EP Committee on Transport and Tourism

References to tourist stakeholders

Source: Stratfor

Among the 8 Tourism Priorities listed by Commissioner Bieńkowska, who is responsible for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs is the need for improvement of the governance structure, both within the EU institutions and within the industry. Another priority is the promotion of sustainable tourism.

Strengths

Tourism is a key sector of the European economy. It is an important driver of economic growth and job creation. It is the third largest socio-economic activity in the EU. Tourism accounts for 10% of the EU GDP if sectors linked to tourism are taken into account. The sector consists of ,about 1,8 million enterprises, employs 10% of the total EU labor force, and provides 12 million jobs.

1. To strengthen the EU tourism industry as a high quality service sector, a more customer-oriented approach as well as well trained and motivated staff is necessary.

2. To give the EU a better position as the number one tourism destination in the world, Europe needs better branding to reflect its core values and to adequately differentiate itself from other destinations in the world.