EU Tourism Policy priorities

Transcription

1 EU Tourism Policy priorities Destination Europe Summit 2015 London, 29 October 2015 Krisztina Boros Policy Officer European Commission, DG Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW) Unit F4 - Tourism, Emerging and Creative Industries Date: in 12 pts

2 Facts & figures on tourism in the EU A cross-cutting sector, the 3 rd largest economic activity in the EU (after Distribution and Construction) Involves a big diversity of services and professions Mainly dominated by SMEs (3.4 million) Socio-economic importance of tourism Direct contribution: 5 % the EU GDP 5.2% of the total labour force (9.7 million jobs)

3 Source: UNWTO Tourism Highlights 2015 ed. Contribution of tourism to economy Source: World Travel and Tourism Council.

4 Europe - N 1 tourist destination in the world Over 581 million international tourist arrivals in 2014 INSERT cultural and historical heritage natural assets diversity of sceneries quality services good connectivity 4

5 Trends of tourism demand - a far from exhausted growth potential

6 Challenges for European tourism Increased competition from destinations in emerging countries Insufficient socio-economic data on tourism at EU level Information and communication technologies uptake (ITC) Improving quality of tourism jobs, appropriate skills development Ensuring economic, social and environmental sustainability Improving accessibility and making holidays available to all Reducing seasonality

7 AAG % International tourist arrivals (share) World market shares Source: World Tourism Organisation.

8 Legal Framework EU Tourism competences EU competence (after the Lisbon Treaty art. 195): Complement, support and coordinate the action of the Member States in the tourism sector How? By: Encouraging the creation of a favorable environment for the development of undertakings in this sector Promoting cooperation between the Member States, particularly by the exchange of good practice No harmonization of the laws and regulations of the Member States

9 Policy Framework Communication COM(2010)352 : «Europe, the world s No 1 tourist destination - a new political framework for tourism in Europe» 1) Stimulating competitiveness of the sector 2) Promoting the development of a sustainable, responsible, and high quality tourism 3) Consolidating image and profile of Europe 4) Maximising the potential of EU policies and financial instruments for developing tourism

10 6. Priority actions for EU tourism policy 2016 onwards 1. Joint promotion of Europe as a tourist destination, in third countries' markets 2. Internationalisation Supporting EU tourism SMEs to enhance their presence in key international markets 3. Promoting the digitalisation of the tourism SMEs 4. Upgrading the skills and competences in the sector

11 Joint promotion of Europe Strong added value - close cooperation between Member States, Regions and the industry is needed. Destination Europe cooperation with the ETC (ad-hoc grant Promotion in a selected list of key third-countries' markets Involvement of the industry for more effectiveness Communication Campaign encouraging intra-eu travel capitalising on less-known destinations Pilot Projects / Preparatory Actions with EP UNESCO Heritage Sites Branding Europe

12 Internationalisation Objective: to support the participation of tourism SMEs and their associations' representatives in major international travel and tourism fairs both in Europe and in third countries' markets. organisation of information events business-to-business matching events for different types of tourism products 24 months fairs covered China, India, Brazil, possibly also US, Canada or Australia cooperation between the EC, the Member States /Regions as well as other public and private stakeholders EEN - Sector Group on Tourism and Cultural Heritage Implementation: Call for tender / call for proposals Budget: 3.1 million

13 Digitalisation of tourism SMEs Need to follow market trends and enable the development of new innovative business models Capitalising on the Digital Single Market Package and the Single Market Strategy Digital Tourism Network mapping the state-of-play, challenges and opportunities of digitalisation >> policy recommendations. 2 nd meeting of DTN mid-next year. DG GROW Task Force on Collaborative Economy Accessing the impacts >> policy recommendations Cooperation with other Commission Services (JUST, CNECT, MOVE, COMP, etc.)

14 Enhancing skills and competences Study 2015: serious mismatch between demand and offer of skilled workforce in the sector. Hospitality Skills Passport + dedicated section in EURES matching businesses with jobseekers Drop'pin Portal working with DG EMPL to enhance the visibility of tourism traineeship opportunities European Alliance for Apprenticeships raising awareness among stakeholders quality and mobility of (formal) apprenticeships. Call for proposals 2016 PP with the EP "Youth on the SPOT" ( 1 million) Digital skills - webinars DG EMPL Calls for proposals Erasmus+, European Social Fund

15 Improving the business environment Better access to finance COSME depending on decision of the COSME Committee (2015: 9 million EUR, 2016: possibly 4,5 million EUR) Structural Funds more focused and effective use Raising awareness of financing possibilities Guide to EU Funding for tourism Access to Finance portal Visa facilitation Difficult discussions in Council key role of the industry to lobby at national level 6.6 million potential tourists lost every year 12.6 billion loss of GDP and jobs per year

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17 Sustainable tourism actions Actions promoting the diversification of tourism offer and non-traditional tourist destinations: EDEN 2016 European Destinations of Excellence initiative - Competition will continue, but we will re-design the concept ( ) European Tourism Indicator System (ETIS) Revision being finalised in early 2016 European Charter for sustainable and responsible tourism TF2 17

18 Upcoming major EU tourism events European Tourism Day, Brussels, 16 December 2015 ETIS conference and Accessible Tourism Workshop, Brussels, 25 January 2016

19 Contact details European Commission, Tourism website: ourism/index_en.htm Calls for proposals: acts-grants/calls-forproposals/index_en.htm DG GROW Unit F4. Tourism, Emerging and Creative Industries Thank you for your attention