MEPs turn their attention to Sustainable Tourism Development

Publication date: 01 February 2005

On 1st February, a public hearing in the European Parliament kicked off the debate on the future of sustainable tourism development in Europe.  The economic and political challenges facing the tourist industry, ways of promoting Europe as a global destination and the general outlook for sustainable tourism were the key issues examined. Presentations were heard from Parliamentarians, representatives of the Council, the European Commission plus various tourism industry experts. 

Given the importance of tourism for the Eurocouncil of the FIA and motoring and touring clubs in Europe, the event was attended by representatives of the European Bureau, the Caravan Club and the ANWB.

Council President-in-Office Fernand BODEN emphasised the importance of tourism to the European Community. Every year, 400 million tourists visit the Member States, spending €300 billion. Five out of every 100 employees in the EU work in tourism. Mr Boden said the Member States must work together more closely to create an EU-wide model for sustainable tourism. The Luxembourg Presidency plans to respond to a Commission paper on sustainable tourism published in November 2003 and will forward its conclusions to the Competitiveness Council in April 2005.

The Commission representative Mr ORTUN pointed out that the industry was facing enormous challenges. Sun and ski holidays were no longer everyone's favourites and the number of tourists in older age categories was increasing fast. The modern tourist was also more demanding. But there were enormous opportunities. The EU was the richest and most varied region in the world, with a huge variety of landscape and cultures and it had good quality infrastructure with highly professional employees.

Enormous potential in the new Member States
President Jean-Claude BAUMGARTNER of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) told the hearing that the ten new Member States had enormous potential for travel and tourism, saying it could generate €46 billion and 3 million jobs. He called upon the EU institutions and the Member States to recognise the industry's importance to their economies and introduce tourism-friendly policies. One thing which was lacking was a single, harmonised instrument for measuring tourism in the EU, a failing which needed to be remedied by the Commission, MEPs and governments.

The Chinese and Russians are coming...
Over 400 million people visit Europe every year, said Arthur OBERASCHER of the European Travel Commission (ETC). He added that legislative and economic obstacles must be swept away and tourism given the status it merits, in both political and social terms. Today, tourism is treated as the willing, good-humoured waiter of the economy but it deserves better, he said. Given the predicted decline in the working population from 2010, coupled with tourism's lack of political clout, two million tourism businesses could lack the manpower they need. The economic emergence of China, India, Russia and Brazil would bring about a shift in international travel patterns and Europe's tourist industry needed to be well positioned to take advantage of the purchasing power of the millions of potential new visitors.

Taxation on tourism too high
On behalf of the European Tourism Industry Network (ETIN), Bill RICHARDS told the audience that sustainable tourism was more than an environmental issue. It was also a question of economic sustainability. European tourism faced increasing competition from other international destinations and the cost of tourism in Europe was a real concern. Taxation on tourism was high and the VAT regime was central to this. There was also no crisis management response system at EU level capable of dealing with the impact on tourism of problems such as foot and mouth disease, natural disasters or terrorists attacks. Finally, Mr Richards criticised the absence of a cohesive tourism policy across the EU institutions and the Member States. To achieve sustainability, a balance must be found between the environmental, economic and social aspects of tourism.

Stop tourism on the cheap
Kerstin HOWALD represented the European Trade Union Liaison Committee on Tourism (ETLC). She believed European tourism will only enjoy sustainable development if the social dimension of sustainability is taken seriously, i.e. if top priority is given to sustainable employment. The overall aim should be to make tourism an attractive sector to work in by improving job security and pay and conditions. Otherwise, jobs would be left unfilled. She also wanted the vicious circle of "cheap bargain tourism" to be stopped, saying it undermined the viability of some tourist businesses. From a consumer's point of view, it was nice to fly from Hanover to Alicante for €9.99. But she doubted if low cost carriers would in future be able to offer their staff attractive working conditions and decent salaries. The dismantling of the European social model - and not only in civil aviation - should be stopped.

Sustainable tourism in the new Member States
Mr BURHIN, speaking for Ramboll-Ecotrans and reporting on the situation in the new Member States, listed a number of questions that needed to be addressed: for which countries was sustainable tourism a priority, how many countries had already developed a national tourism strategy, how were tourism developments regularly monitored, what conflicts of interest existed between infrastructure development, natural resource base and cultural resource, which administrations could cope with the implementation of good governance, which was the best way to market sustainable tourism and how could the industry contribute to better job conditions?

Lastly, Professor Mara MANENTE of the CISET-University of Venice explained that tourism was a complex and composite economic system with a multiplicity of parties, interests and goals involved. The market alone could not manage such complexity and an important role therefore had to be played by European, national or regional authorities.

The findings of today's hearing will be used by committee rapporteur Luis QUEIRO (UEN, PT) when he draws up an own-initiative report for Parliament on sustainable tourism.