TOURISM REPORT OF EP COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORT AND TOURISM

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

• Report is more descriptive than analytical.
• Report is rehashing what is already known
• Report is more tactical than strategic
• Insufficient stress on the need for stakeholders’ engagement
• What about the involvement of the private sector
• No clear mapping out
• No reference to tourism governance and institutional set up
• What is the policy/strategy/plan?
• What about the regulatory framework
• Overall the report lacks ‘teeth’ and leaves the reader perplex
• Disconnect with reality and not challenging the Commission enough on expectations to get the job done.
• What is the roadmap??

Questions that need to be addressed

1. The position of tourism in EU policies and programmes

• Issue 1: The level of recognition given to tourism in EU policies
• Issue 2: The extent and nature of EU assistance for sustainable tourism development

 2. EU Tourism policy and regulatory framework

• Issue 1: The existence of a tourism policy and strategic plans sufficient to guide the development of tourism in the EU
• Issue 2: The implementation and monitoring of the EU policy/strategy/plan
• Issue 3: The adequacy of legislation and regulations affecting tourism

3. Tourism governance and EU institutional setup

• Issue 1: The effectiveness of the EU leadership structure for tourism
• Issue 2: The engagement of tourist stakeholder interests in EU tourism governance
• Issue 3: The involvement of the private sector and use of public-private partnerships
• Issue 4: The effectiveness of tourism governance at Member State level