SUPPLY SIDE:

Parts of the tourism product as viewed by supply side:
Organisational structures and political influences:

EU policies on tourism - current policies and background

 The European Commission started involvement in tourism with the establishment of the Tourism Advisory Committee in 1986, the role of which is to facilitate exchange of information, consultation and co-operation on tourism. At present the Advisory Committee is composed of representatives from the 18 EEA (European Environment Agency) countries who provide information on the measures taken at national level in the area of tourism. This Committee meets several times a year.

The Council of Ministers declared the year 1990 as the "The European Year of Tourism" and in 1992 started a three year Action Plan to Assist Tourism.

Following its 1995 Green Paper on the Role of the Union in the field of Tourism, the European Commission adopted (30 April 1996) a proposal for a Council Decision on a First Multiannual Programme to assist European Tourism ("Philoxenia" 1997-2000).  A modified version was presented by the Commission in December 1996. The Council of Ministers has not been able to reach an unanimous agreement on the proposed programme. Tourism is a phenomenon which is cutting across different policy fields, therefore an unanimous agreement is needed for all questions regarding tourism as a whole.

Whereas the Commissions' proposal received the favourable opinion of the other European institutions - the European Parliament, the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, the Commission formally withdrew its proposal in April 2000.  Instead, the Community activities representing tourism are now embedded in the Tourism and Employment process.

A High Level Group on Tourism and Employment was formed in 1997. The Group's mandate was to examine the conditions in which tourism could make a greater contribution to growth and stability in employment in European tourism, and to make recommendations. The High Level Group was composed of qualified tourism professionals from all Member States of the EU and was chaired by Dr. Ralf Corsten, President of the Board of Directors of "Touristik Union International" (TUI GmbH).

In 1999 the Commission and the Member States agreed to set up four working groups:
to facilitate the exchange and dissemination of information, particularly through new technologies (Working Group A);
to improve training in order to upgrade skills in the tourism industry (Working Group B);
to improve the quality of tourist products (Working Group C);
to promote environmental protection and sustainable development in tourism (Working Group D) and
a special working group 'managing the impact of new technologies in the tourism sector  (Working Group E)

All groups tabled their reports on recommendations in the summer 2001.

 The European Commission presented its ideas 13 November 2001 on how best to exploit the European tourism sector's competitive potential. The Commission aims in particular to foster tourism's competitiveness and sustainability. Underlining tourism's contribution to sustainable development, with a special focus on environmental and cultural resources, is high on the list of recommendations, in accordance with the "Agenda 21" guidelines. With a view to providing the tourism industry with a political platform and improving co-operation and co-ordination, an annual European Tourism Forum, a key interface with stakeholder groups, is proposed.

The Communication is the final milestone of the "tourism and employment" process that was launched four years ago. It identifies five key issues:
information,
training,
quality,
sustainable development, and
new technologies.

Some of the key activities advocated in the by the Commission are:

Promoting dialogue with the tourism industry and other interested parties by holding an Annual Tourism Forum and extending the remit of the Advisory Committee on Tourism.

Fostering networking services and support functions, for instance through competence centres (observatories, study and research centres) at national, regional and local levels.

Ensuring good use of the EU's financial and non-financial instruments to the benefit of the tourism industry, in co-operation with national and regional authorities, and with operators

Promoting sustainable development by further elaborating on and implementing the "Agenda 21" guidelines

Defining and disseminating assessment methods and tools (quality indicators and benchmarking) necessary for monitoring the quality of tourist destinations and services.

In May 2002, the Council of Ministers unanimously adopted a resolution, based on the Commission Communication. This is for the first time the Council has adopted a resolution specifically on tourism, in where it urges closer monitoring of the impact of EU legislation on the tourism sector, suggests futher examination of promoting Europe as a destination, and invites the industry to support the efforts undertaken by the European Community and the Member States.

 

 

 

 

 EU's new tourism policy: http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/services/tourism/index_en.htm

Download pdf here: eutourismstrategy

"A renewed EU Tourism Policy: Towards a stronger partnership for European Tourism

1. TOURISM AND THE RENEWED LISBON STRATEGY

1.1. The challenge of growth and jobs

On February 2005, the Commission proposed a new start for the Lisbon Strategy focusing the European Union’s efforts on two principal tasks – delivering stronger, lasting growth and more and better jobs.

Since 1997, the potential of tourism to generate employment and growth has been recognised at EU level on several occasions.2 Globalisation, demographic changes and the evolution in transport are decisive factors in driving the rapid growth of this industry. With its variety of attractions and quality of its tourism services Europe is the world leading tourist destination.

Tourism is therefore an activity which can play an important role in the attainment of the Growth and Jobs Strategy goals. Tourism is a cross-cutting sector, involving a big diversity of services and professions, linked to many other economic activities. It impacts on sectors such as transport, construction, retail and on the numerous sectors that produce holiday products or provide leisure and business travel-related services. Although some big international companies contribute to this sector, it is mainly dominated by SMEs. In its most narrow definition, the European tourism industry creates more than 4% of the Community’s GDP, with about 2 million enterprises employing about 4% of the total labour force (representing approximately 8 million jobs). When the links to other sectors are taken into account, the contribution of tourism to GDP is estimated to be around 11% and it provides employment to more than 12% of the labour force (24 million jobs).

The job creation rate in tourism is above average compared to the European economy as a whole. In the last decade, the annual growth rate of people employed in the HORECA (Hotels, Restaurants, and Cafes) sector has been almost always above the growth rate of total employment. An important reason for the contribution of the tourism industry to job creation, in particular with regard to the employment of women, young and less skilled persons, is the high degree of part-time employment and flexible working conditions. The flexibility of this workforce should be matched by appropriate measures for job security and skills development.

Tourism plays an important role in the development of the vast majority of European regions. Infrastructure created for tourism purposes contributes to local development, and jobs are created or maintained even in areas in industrial or rural decline, or undergoing urban regeneration. The need to improve the attractiveness of the regions acts as an incentive to an increasing number of destinations and stakeholders to turn towards more sustainable and environmentally friendly practices and policies. Sustainable tourism plays a major role in the preservation and enhancement of the cultural and natural heritage in an ever expanding number of areas, ranging from arts to local gastronomy, crafts or the preservation of biodiversity. This in turn impacts in a positive way on employment and growth creation. The Commission and the tourism stakeholders have recognised this and are actively working on the elaboration of a European Agenda 21 for Tourism.

Thanks to tourism, those visiting European destinations are brought into contact with our values and our heritage. Tourism contributes to a better understanding amongst people and helps in the process of shaping the European identity. It also promotes intercultural dialogue, through contact between various social, economic and cultural groups.

The recent enlargement of the European Union has increased the diversity of European tourist destinations and products, opening up numerous natural and cultural attractions often unknown to many European citizens. The development of tourism in the new Member States and the candidate countries will contribute to the generation of growth and jobs by the European tourism industry.

Tourism is therefore an important sector for the renewed Lisbon strategy; its implementation does not solely concern public administrations. Responding to the Lisbon challenges will need to involve all stakeholders at EU, national, regional and local level in a renewed partnership for growth and jobs."

 European Tourism funding: Example European_Union_Funding-Guide

 Background: Development from 1945

International tourism policies from 1945 until now (based on Hall 2000)

 Examples: Airlines, Beach resorts, Tourist Information Offices