The European tourism ministers will meet informally in Palma de Mallorca on Tuesday 31 October, to discuss how the Member States can promote a more sustainable, inclusive and resilient tourism sector and what the European Union can do to support socially sustainable tourism.
A single working session is planned on this issue. In its programme (see EUROPE 13214/9), the Spanish Presidency of the EU Council stated that it was “crucial to achieving quality tourism that is accessible and in line with the Sustainable Development Goals”. She also announced that she wanted to improve the competitiveness of the tourism industry, which would notably require a transformation towards a more sustainable model.
This transformation would include promoting the establishment of indicators to measure the sector’s sustainability, identifying data on traveller destinations and analysing the carrying capacity of each location to achieve a balance between tourists and residents in tourism-intensive areas.
The Member States have already expressed their support for the strategic lines of the transition path by establishing ‘The EU Agenda for Tourism 2030’ (see EUROPE 13076/10). The concrete action plan that forms part of it highlights the need to establish sustainability measures, in particular considering the effects of climate change in the tourism sector.
The Presidency also felt that further efforts were needed to improve the sector's competitiveness and economic, social and environmental resilience and support the ecological and digital transitions. It aims to promote the skills and training of workers through cooperation between the Member States. (Original version in French by Anne Damiani)