European Parliamentary Research Service Blog
tourism
Covid-19 and the tourism sector
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
Ocean governance and blue growth: Challenges, opportunities and policy responses
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
Cultural tourists [What Europe does for you]
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
Tourism operators [What Europe does for you]
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
Cultural heritage in EU policies
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
2018 EU-China Tourism Year
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
High-level conference on tourism [Topical Digest]
As the third-largest economic activity in the EU, tourism is a major source of economic growth, regional development and employment. Continue reading
Mapping the Cost of Non-Europe, 2014-19 – Fourth edition
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
European Tourism Day
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
A European strategy to enhance the competitiveness of the tourism industry, a key driver for job creation
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
Major challenges for EU tourism and policy responses [Policy Podcast]
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
Marine Fisheries-related Tourism in the EU
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
In focus: World Tourism Day is celebrated on 27 September
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
Mapping the Cost of Non-Europe, 2014 -19: Third edition (April 2015)
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
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 in the EU economy
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
Tourism and the EU
The first week of July has been very busy with the constitutive session of the eighth European Parliament term and we will keep this pace up next week too. However, for many people, this period of the year coincides with the kick-off of holiday season. At the European Parliament Research Service (EPRS) we celebrate this … Continue reading
The European Union and tourism: challenges and policy responses
As the third largest socio-economic activity in the EU, tourism is important for growth and employment. Despite the depth of the economic crisis, the tourist industry in the EU has proved resilient with numbers of tourist trips remaining high. However, long-term trends suggest Europe is losing position in the global marketplace, with new destinations gaining … Continue reading
Graphics on Regions, tourism and transport
Here you’ll find graphs, charts, tables and maps with statistics on regions, tourism and transport. Continue reading
The EU and tourism
Tourism is an important sector in the EU economy, providing an estimated 12-14 million jobs and accounting for over 5% of EU GDP. Collectively, EU Member States attract more tourists every year than any other part of the world. This InfoGraphic looks at the EU and tourism, providing in a graphical way various key data for … Continue reading
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