Today, the Commission presented the transition pathway for tourism during the EU Industry Days. The transition pathway is a plan jointly created with actors of the tourism ecosystem detailing key actions, targets and conditions to achieve the green and digital transitions and long-term resilience of the sector. The Commission invited involved parties to take part in its implementation. The transition pathway calls on the tourism community to implement measures in twenty-seven areas, including:
- To invest in circularity to reduce energy, waste, water and pollution, and at the same time to better meet the increasing demand for sustainable tourism;
- To enhance data sharing practices to allow for new innovative tourism services and improve the sustainable management of destinations;
- To invest in skills to ensure the availability of qualified workforce and attractive careers in the ecosystem.
In the opening of this spotlight event on tourism, the Commissioner for Internal Market, Thierry Breton, said:
“I am very pleased that we can present to you today the result of months of cooperation among all stakeholders. By working hand-in-hand we have come up with a common vision for EU tourism and agreed upon the ways to achieve it. This pathway will set the agenda for European tourism for the decade to come. Today I would like to invite all stakeholders to join the co-implementation process”.
Active involvement of all players in the sector will be key for the success of the green and digital transition. That is why the Commission is today launching an on-line survey , inviting the EU tourism community to share information about their individual and collective commitments and to express interest in working together on the implementation of the transition. The Commission will be working with the interested stakeholders to steer, support and follow up the progress of the transition.
Background
The development of the Transition Pathway for Tourism started in June 2021 with a stakeholders’ consultation on scenarios for the ecosystem transition. Several workshops and stakeholder meetings were held to further brainstorm and elaborate on the proposals.
This Transition Pathway is the first one delivered as part of a broader action announced in the Industrial Strategy Update, published on 5 May 2021, where the Commission called for industrial ecosystems to accelerate the green and digital transformation and increase the resilience of the European economy. It initiated the principle of the co-creation of transition pathways with stakeholders, as an essential collaborative tool for the green and digital transformation of industrial ecosystems. Currently the Commission is working on the co-creation of pathways for the mobility, construction, energy-intensive industries and proximity and social economy ecosystems.
The Transition Pathway for Tourism also contributes to the request of the European Council in its conclusions of 27 May 2021 that invite “the Commission and Member States, in participation with relevant stakeholders, to design a European Agenda for Tourism”.
The Transition Pathway for Tourism addresses the requests outlined above and paves the way for a forward-looking transition and long-term resilience for the tourism ecosystem, towards 2030 and beyond.
For More Information
Updated European Industrial Strategy
Co-creation process of the Transition Pathway for Tourism