MEPs on the European Parliament’s transport and tourism committee, discussing the report on the 2017 budget, voted on Thursday 1 September for a “European Capital of Tourism” title to be put in place.
Taking their inspiration from the existing European Capital of Culture and European Capital of Sport schemes, MEPs Renaud Muselier (EPP, France) and Istvan Ujhelyi (S&D, Hungary) argue that a title of this nature could promote the richness that European countries offer tourists and strengthen the feeling among citizens of sharing the values of local tourism. The two MEPs go on to say in their amendment that this title could use tourism to boost development in cities and beyond by giving greater prominence to the cities which are awarded the title, and their surrounding regions.
The two MEPs stress that the cities selected must put great emphasis on social inclusion and equal opportunities, and ensure that all parts of society, and in particular young people and marginalised and disadvantaged groups, are involved in the drafting and implementation of the tourism programmes. Furthermore, they say, the programmes must necessarily have a clear European dimension and provide a legacy.
The “European Tourism Prize” would be awarded by an independent committee of experts in a number of categories (such as sustainable tourism, digital tourism, health tourism) to be determined by the European institutions, including the Committee of the Regions. The plan would include the network of stakeholders behind the tourism for growth and jobs manifesto.
The budget to be allocated for the project in 2017 would be €2.5 million but this may still be amended. From an operational point of view, a maximum of three titles would be awarded per year. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)