Gaston Franco welcomes the adoption in the European Parliament of the report on “Europe, the world’s leading tourist destination – a new political framework for European tourism,” a foundational element of a genuine European strategy to invigorate and complement the actions of Member States in the field of tourism.
An additional opportunity for the Azur economy?
Will local economic players be able to take advantage of it to achieve even stronger growth?
Let’s recall that the European Union is the world’s number one tourist destination by the number of international arrivals and that tourism is the most important service industry in the EU.
Mainly composed of SMEs, tourism contributes, along with its related sectors, to 10% of GDP and 12% of total employment in Europe.
The report adopted by the European Parliament emphasizes the need to increase visibility, quality, competitiveness, and diversification of tourism in Europe.
It proposes various avenues to reduce the seasonal nature of tourism, which is a source of job insecurity for sector employees and economic instability for businesses and local governments.
Among the recommendations of this report, we should also note the gradual harmonization of hotel classification systems based on common criteria, as well as better information on available European co-financing and easier access for SMEs to support and assistance measures.
It should be noted that a recent evaluation report by the European Court of Auditors highlighted the effectiveness of tourism projects financed by the ERDF in terms of job creation.
“Europe needs tourism that is in tune with modernity, the evolving global demand, and our societies. Tourism that is innovative and competitive but also respectful of the environment, cultures, and local specificities,” recalled the European Deputy from Nice following the vote.
“In an international destination competition context, we have every interest in showcasing our assets, our professions, our expertise, and in better communicating our European or national singularities. In this regard, the recent creation of a French gastronomy day on the first day of autumn is an excellent initiative that deserves recognition.”
Sustainable tourism, cultural tourism, business and congress tourism, health tourism, these are the priorities for Gaston FRANCO: “Let’s also structure Euro-Mediterranean cooperation on tourism in the aftermath of the Arab Spring. We have everything to build together to bring prosperity to the Mediterranean based on common standards and projects,” concluded the two European Deputies.
