Brussels, 16/09/2015 (Agence Europe) - An own initiative report adopted by the Transport and Tourism Committee (TRAN) at the European Parliament on Tuesday 15 September focused on new challenges and concepts involved in the promotion of tourism in Europe. In the report, MEPs express their concern at the European Commission's disengagement in the tourism domain.
The draft report by Isabella De Monte (S&D, Italy) regretted that the European Commission has stopped regularly updating the action plan since May 2013. The action plan was defined in a 2010 communication entitled “Europe the most popular tourist destination in the world - a new political framework for European tourism”. At the time, the Commission set out 21 different action areas to help the European tourism sector more effectively compete at an international level.
MEPs also expressed alarm at the amendments to the internal Commission flowchart, which reveals a sharp cutback in its staff involved in tourism policy. They considered this decision as incoherent, given the “importance of the sector and the Commission's stated goals”.
MEPs would like the environmental and sustainable dimension to be systematically taken into account in the development of the European tourism sector by including sustainable management indicators for tourist destinations that have been operational since 2013 and by providing European tourist destinations with ratings for excellence (EDEN) and by completing the drafting of the European Charter for Sustainable and Responsible Tourism.
'Destination Europe' Label. One of the other points developed in the report focuses on the introduction of a “Destination Europe” label to help support promotional activities carried out by member states and tourism sector actors (see EUROPE 11336). In this connection, MEPs would like emphasis to be placed on the development of public-private partnerships.
MEPs highlight the need to integrate the sharing economy in tourism development models, without encroaching on the traditional tourism industry. They also highlight the need to enhance sector digitalisation.
The draft resolution is expected to be put to the plenary on 6 October. (Pascal Hansens)