At their informal meeting in Louvain-la-Neuve on Tuesday 20 February (see EUROPE 13353/15), Europe’s tourism ministers expressed their desire to continue the work initiated following the Covid-19 crisis. Their aim is to build on the momentum of the European Commission’s ‘Transition Pathway for Tourism’ and ‘New European Agenda for Tourism 2030’.
According to Valérie De Bue, Walloon Government Minister for Tourism, these initiatives have enabled a “vigorous recovery” in the sector. According to the Minister, in 2023, the estimated number of overnight stays in European tourist accommodation reached a record 2.92 billion, 1.6% higher than the pre-pandemic level in 2019.
“The EU remains the number one destination, both for international visitors and for its own residents”, she told a press conference. “These figures alone bear witness to the contribution made by tourism to Europe’s economic attractiveness, and compel us to work together, with the Member States and the Commission, to ensure that tourism remains a priority ecosystem in the EU”, she added.
“The positive trends should not cause us to let our guard down, but on the contrary galvanise us in the pursuit of the many projects on which we have embarked”, added Hubert Gambs, Deputy Director-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) (DG GROW) at the European Commission. He spoke in particular about the green and digital transition, skills and the attractiveness of employment in the tourism sector.
Ahead of the meeting, Dieter Gerald Janecek, Federal Government Coordinator for Maritime Economy and Tourism in Germany, stressed the importance of digitalising the sector. “Tourism is working, but we have to go into innovation, into a new era of tourism”, he said.
According to our information, some Member States, including France, raised another major difficulty: preserving living spaces in destinations. A new model could solve the problems associated with mass tourism, for example.
“The Commission is fully aware of the importance of the sector and of the importance of supporting businesses, particularly SMEs, in their challenge to become more sustainable, more digital, and more resilient to future crises”, Mr Gambs said. “I am confident that the next Commission will move in the right direction to support the tourism sector in close collaboration with the Member States”, he concluded. (Original version in French by Anne Damiani)