Freitag, 29.03.2024 02:01 Uhr

Tourism sector needs EU-level coordination

Verantwortlicher Autor: Carlo Marino Rome, 24.09.2020, 09:59 Uhr
Nachricht/Bericht: +++ Reise & Tourismus +++ Bericht 5751x gelesen

Rome [ENA] The Covid-19 crisis has tremendously affected tourism which accounts for millions of jobs around the globe. No one can say when tourism will recover, people are starting to dream again of escapes whether closer to home or to remote destinations. So tourism numbers today are kind of scary. About 100 to 120 million of dayters and jobs at risk. And this is official data also confirmed by ILO.

But this is forecast until the end of the year 2020. And there will be a loss of 910 billion to 1.2 trillion U.S. dollars in export for tourism. In international tourism spending there is a loss of GDP forecast for over 2 percent by the end of the year. The European Parliament Transport and Tourism Committee met yesterday with travel and tourism stakeholders to take stock of the dire situation facing the sector and to discuss ways to overcome this unprecedented crisis. The Tourism Task Force issued a joint statement after the meeting, acknowledging the tourism sector’s disappointment that the EU has done little to help:

“More than six months have passed in this emergency situation, yet there are still no common criteria in the EU on how to handle and live with this pandemic: no universal hygiene and health protocols, no common rules for testing or on how to assess the risks, no adhering to the free movement principle. Even when travelling is partially possible, the wide array of rules make it extremely difficult. People are confused and have no guarantees that their planned trips can and will go ahead. The tourism sector, that employs 22 million people in Europe, is on the verge of collapse. This is no small threat: depending on the country, tourism accounts from 4.3% to 25% of the GDP.

As things stand, hundreds of thousands of SMEs will not survive until the end of this year. It is still not clear which crisis management tool can be used by the tourism sector, besides the “European instrument for temporary Support to mitigate Unemployment Risks in an Emergency (SURE)”. We insist on urgent concrete action from the European Commission and the member states. A well-defined crisis management mechanism is needed; the sector is fighting to survive. The tourism sector therefore requires urgently: • Direct and dedicated financial support; • Consistent and transparent criteria to assess the risks across the EU; • EU-level coordination of travel restrictions, hygiene and health protocols;

• A clear path towards a genuine EU policy on sustainable tourism. It is high time for the EU to come forward with a strategy on sustainable tourism and a dedicated budget line in the next long-term EU budget. A €300 million budget line to implement a common vision for sustainable tourism over the next seven years is not too much to ask. It is essential, to make sure that this economic sector will have a chance to get back on its feet after months of stagnation and so that we can shape it to become more sustainable. We need EU leadership. It is a matter of political will and it is time to take bold decisions.”

As more and more people go online to search where and when they can travel, accelerating the digitalization of the tourism sector will be key to adapting to the new tourism reality. That is why the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and Google have partnered to develop an online Acceleration Program for UNWTO Member States' tourism ministers, top travel associations and tourism boards to further develop innovation and digital transformation skills.

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