Tourism in Transition / A New Consensus for Change
EU Mandate 2024 – 2029
The Tourism Manifesto is an alliance of over 70 public and private sector organisations working to build consensus on policy priorities and support good practice. To maintain progress, this most European sector needs a strategic re-set as the EU’s institutions reassemble for the 2024-2029 mandate.
We are presenting some main emphases from the Tourism Manifesto:
The tourism and travel industry is embedded in the European project.
The visitor economy covers all regions and multiple sectors: leisure and business travel, culture and gastronomy, accommodation, meetings and events. It delivers benefits to communities across the region. More coordinated EU action is needed to channel investment effectively, support value-adding, drive innovation and help our interconnected ecosystem manage the negative impact.
Tourism can and should champion Europe’s appeal and its competitiveness. Visitor revenues help
safeguard and provide citizens’ access to natural and cultural heritage and pay for infrastructure. But our micro/SME-dominated sector confronts a range of challenges: complexity and uncertainty in regulatory compliance and business adaptation, and widespread stigmatisation.
Together for EU Tourism – T4T and the Tourism Transition Pathway recognised tourism’s importance in Europe’s post-pandemic recovery but by themselves, they are not sufficient.
The Tourism Manifesto proposes four pillars to support the tourism industry’s long-term success.
Pillar I: Decarbonisation
Our sector is committed to climate action. It supports the green transition and science-based targets. To meet these, system-wide change is necessary from travel and tourism to construction and food production. With a sector dominated by micro-SMEs and complex supply chains, a clear and proportionate approach is needed to enable decarbonisation and reduce environmental impact.
Pillar II: EU Vision and Strategy
An EU tourism strategy is needed that considers the needs of the sector and the economic,
geopolitical and societal benefits it can deliver.
Pillar III: Connectivity and borders
Resilient connectivity and open borders are strategic requirements for all parts of the economy.
Tourism is particularly vulnerable to disruption.
Pillar IV: Innovation & Adaptation
To support businesses and destinations to tackle daily challenges and changing patterns in the
visitor economy, an enabling framework at the EU level can enable success at all levels.
The focus should be on measures that enable progress on sectoral employment appeal, capacity
optimisation, destination management, product and visitor diversification, digitalisation, data and
skills.
More information can be found here.
