Asking passengers to complete a passenger locator form (PLF) prior to their flights has been seen in recent months as an efficient way to help public health authorities trace travellers potentially exposed to Covid-19 in airports and ports and at other border check points. Continue reading
Tourism in the European Union (EU) is one of the sectors hardest hit by the coronavirus crisis, with some parts of the sector and some regions more affected than others. Continue reading
The lockdowns, border closures and other restrictive measures in response to the coronavirus pandemic brought tourist and cultural activities to a halt in most EU Member States between mid-March and mid-June, significantly affecting businesses and consumers. A progressive easing of these restrictive measures is now under way. Continue reading
EU rules on vouchers offered to passengers and travellers Continue reading
The coronavirus outbreak has paralysed the tourism industry, leaving travellers scrambling to return home and devastating economies that are largely dependent on tourism. The European Union (EU) has acted quickly to help the sector, for instance, by offering financial support to businesses, among them numerous small and medium-sized enterprises. Continue reading
Oceans cover more than two thirds of the earth and are a vital element of life on our planet. Not only are they a primary source of food, they are also central to the carbon cycle; they regulate the climate and produce most of the oxygen in the air we breathe. Continue reading
If you choose your holiday destinations on the basis of the cultural sites or museums to visit, as 40 % of European tourists do, you may be interested to know how the EU supports sites that are off the beaten track and helps them link up with similar sites in cross-border areas. Continue reading
There is no specific EU fund for tourism but, as a tourism operator, you can apply for funding from various EU sources, such as the European structural and investment funds. Continue reading
2018 is devoted to the European Union’s cultural heritage. This paper focuses on the evolution of the very notion of cultural heritage, its role and place in society, as well as the way it is perceived and interpreted in the context of related EU prerogatives. The European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018 is a result of this evolution, and allows EU citizens to gain a broad understanding of their cultural heritage in all its aspects, democratically share responsibility for it, celebrate it and benefit from the creation it inspires. Continue reading
EU-China Tourism Year (ECTY) was launched in Venice on 19 January 2018. This initiative, agreed at the 2017 EU China Summit, aims at supporting the development of new and better travel itineraries, promoting inter-cultural understanding, and enhancing travel and tourism experiences, including greater promotion and more sustainable tourism. Continue reading
As the third-largest economic activity in the EU, tourism is a major source of economic growth, regional development and employment. Continue reading
This paper embodies work-in-progress on a long-term project being undertaken by the European Parliament’s European Added Value Unit, in conjunction with the office of the Secretary-General, to try to identify and analyse the ‘cost of non-Europe’ in certain policy fields. Continue reading
Addressing ‘the future of EU tourism’, the European Commission organised the 2017 edition of the European Tourism Day on 28 November in Brussels. Continue reading
On the occasion of World Tourism Day on 27 September, the European Parliament is organising a high-level conference under the initiative of its President, Antonio Tajani, to promote a European strategy on tourism as a key driver of growth and job creation. Continue reading
Written by Vasilis Margaras, Constituting the third-largest economic activity in the EU, tourism is of considerable importance as a source of economic growth, regional development and employment. Although it has been badly affected by the economic crisis in the past years, tourism has proved resilient, as witnessed by the growing number of visitors to the … Continue reading
Written by Isabelle Gautier, Tourism activities can offer fishermen a good way to diversify their activities. It can be done outside or along with the fisheries seasons all through the year as a potential means of earning additional income. This economic aspect was taken into consideration in the European Fisheries Fund (EFF) which was used … Continue reading
Written by Maria Juul On 27 September we celebrate World Tourism Day. Tourism is the third largest socio-economic activity in the European Union. Tourism industries directly contribute over 5% of EU GDP, and when taking into account other industries that produce tourism products, tourism’s economic contribution is even higher: over 10% of EU GDP. On World Tourism … Continue reading
Written by Joseph Dunne On 13 April 2015, the European Parliamentary Research Service published the third edition of its study ‘Mapping the Cost of Non-Europe, 2014-19‘, previously published in March and July 2014. The analysis in the study builds, in large part, on a series of more detailed pieces of work undertaken for individual European Parliamentary Committees by the … Continue reading
Single Market in Transport and Tourism : Cost of Non-Europe Report Significant progress has been achieved during the last 20 years in creating a Single Market for Transports. European tourism is and will remain a vital component of the economy, with enormous economic potential. Both sectors suffer however from remaining barriers, gaps and market inefficiencies that create substantial costs … Continue reading
Tourism plays a major role in the EU and global economies. The UNWTO estimates the impact of tourism in the world economy as 9% of world GDP, while in the EU it is the third-largest socio-economic sector and has generally remained robust throughout the financial crisis. Measuring the precise impact of tourism-related activities on GDP or employment does, however, pose certain challenges. Although tourism is officially … Continue reading