Brussels, 11/10/2012 (Agence Europe) - On 9 October, Carlo Fidanza (EPP, Italy) presented MEPs at the European Parliament's Transport and Tourism Committee with the work agenda he is proposing for the Tourism Task Force (TTF) for 2012-2013. He suggests tackling the issue of visas, the system used to classify hotels and the creation of a quality tourism label.
Mobility problems relating to visas are a major obstacle to the expansion of tourism in Europe. Procedures currently linked to obtaining a tourist visa from developing countries are painstaking and differ from one member state to the other. The Task Force is expected to examine a long-term strategy for setting up a harmonised system with simplified procedures. There are also too many different systems for classifying hotels, which creates confusion because they are based on very different criteria. In this connection, a common strategy would bring added value in this field, to the benefit of consumers. The creation of a European label for quality tourism is another point on the agenda, at the very time the European Commission is looking towards adopting a legislative proposal on this subject.
Set up on 19 June 2011, based on a proposal from the Transport and Tourism Committee, the Tourism Task Force is chaired by Brian Simpson (S&D, United Kingdom), with Fidanza as its vice chairperson. All the different political groups participate in it, with five EPP delegates, three S&D delegates, two from the ALDE and a member each for the Greens/EFA, GUE, ECR and the EFD. The general aim is to propose action for developing a European tourism policy, in the perspective of maintaining a variety of choice, unrestricted by season and which is accessible for all. It is also orientated towards new target groups such as BRIC countries. The approach will be transversal and based on the lines of the report adopted at the end of 2011 by the EP, on the basis of the communication adopted by the Commission (“Europe, the world's leading tourist destination - a new political framework for tourism in Europe”.) Fidanza said that “we have to look closely on legislation voted in other committees, impacting on tourism”. The Task Force will also encourage communication between all the different stakeholders (institutions, tourist agencies, political decision-makers and all the other actors involved) in a dialogue that is currently missing. (IL/trans/fl)