What are the prospects for tourism, a key sector for the European economy that has been at a standstill for almost 2 months? As the Commission prepares to publish on Wednesday 13 May its recommendations on the return to free movement and the resumption of tourism activities in the EU (see EUROPE 12483/5), EUROPE spoke with Teodora Marinska, Director of Public Affairs of the European Travel Commission (ETC).
The ETC, based in Brussels, represents the national tourism organisations of 32 European states, 25 of which are members of the EU. These organisations are already forecasting a significant drop in tourist arrivals in 2020 - on the order of 30% to 40%, or even 50% for some - and are preparing to have to completely reconstruct the market once the crisis is over.
For the time being, and in order to limit the expected damage, the sector (which represents 10% of EU GDP) hopes to at least partially “save” the summer season, “the most important for our industry”, says Marinska.
“If the companies in the sector - which are now surviving only thanks to state aid - manage to resume their activities in July and August, we might be able to get back on our feet. But if the restrictions associated with the pandemic continue for several more months, bankruptcy is assured”, she lamented.
Encouraging intra-European travel
Several states that are particularly dependent on tourism - Greece, Croatia, Italy, and Portugal, in particular - have already indicated that they intend to open their borders to European tourists this summer.
This is a good solution according to Teodora Marinska, who is convinced that lifting restrictions and coordinated health measures allowing Europeans to travel, initially in the EU, would be a life-saving measure for the sector, as “64% of tourist spending in Europe is linked to intra-European travel”.
Such coordination could, in her view, enable tourist travel to resume, with the necessary security measures, as early as July.
Asked about the possibility of setting up a certification system to identify establishments that are complying with previously defined health standards (see EUROPE 12483/5), Mrs Marinska said that the idea had been welcomed by the ETC.
“However, in practice, it’s a very complicated thing to set up. The tourism industry consists largely - 90% - of small, even very small, family-run businesses. Care must therefore be taken not to impose additional administrative and bureaucratic burdens on them”, she says, adding that if such a measure were to be implemented, it should absolutely be done in a homogeneous and non-discriminatory manner throughout the EU.
The opportunity for a “fresh start”
In addition to the establishment of a framework for a risk-free return of tourism activity, the ETC also hopes that the EU will respect its commitments to support European tourism and that its mobilisation - “for the first time in a long time” - to help the sector will be sustained.
Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton recently called (see EUROPE 12471/6) for a profound transformation of European tourism to make it greener, more digital and more strategic.
This may not seem like a good time to condition the recovery of a struggling industry on sustainability goals. On the contrary, according to Teodora Marinska, “the time is right”.
“We’ve been talking about sustainability in the industry for a very long time. This crisis is an opportunity for a fresh start”, she says, adding that, in view of the crisis, “many destinations today are, for example, focusing more on local tourism”. The French and Italian governments, in particular, have recommended in recent days that their nationals should prioritise holidays on national territory.
Upcoming European Summit
The Commission is also expected to confirm on Wednesday that a European summit on tourism will be held as soon as the situation permits. This initiative is welcomed by the ETC, since it will be an opportunity for the sector “to discuss its recovery, which we want to be sustainable”.
“What we expect from such a summit is a unified and harmonised European strategy or roadmap that sets concrete objectives and also provides means, funding, competencies, and rules for tourism. The current crisis shows us that tourism is not a regional or national issue and that it needs to be developed at European level”, Ms Marinska said.
According to her, while tourism remains a competence of the Member States, this crisis has shown that more coordination - a more European approach - is required, and that it will now be necessary to go “beyond Member States and regional considerations”. The summit, she hopes, will be a good opportunity to “launch this process”. (Original version in French by Agathe Cherki)