European Commission takes step to update air service rules

 

The European Commission is inviting citizens, travellers and stakeholders to express their views via a public consultation on the revision of the Air Services Regulation – the framework governing access to the EU internal market for aviation, and operations within it. The Regulation determines, for example, when and where EU airlines can operate freely within the EU, and how ticket prices should be displayed to consumers.

Statement on the resignation of Commissioner Vălean and Commissioner Sinkevičius from the Commission

 

Commissioner Vălean and Commissioner Sinkevičius have informed President von der Leyen that they have decided to resign from the Commission, in order to take up their seat at the European Parliament, to which they have been elected.

Commissioner Vălean and Commissioner Sinkevičius have resigned with effect on 15 and 16 July respectively.

In order to ensure the continuity of work of the Commission, the President has decided to temporarily assign the responsibilities for Environment, Ocean and Fisheries to Executive Vice-President Šefčovič, in addition to his current portfolio.
For the same reason, the President has also decided to temporarily assign the responsibilities for Transport to Commissioner Hoekstra, in addition to his current portfolio.
The President has also informed the European Parliament and the Council about these temporary changes.

Tags: European Commission

The European Commission launches European Capital and Green Pioneer of Smart Tourism competitions for 2024

The European Commission launches the 2024 edition of the European Capital of Smart Tourism, as well as the European Green Pioneer of Smart Tourism competitions; calling for cities to submit their leading examples of smart and sustainable tourism practices in Europe.

European Single Market is turning 30

 

This year, the EU celebrates the 30th anniversary of its Single Market – one of the major achievements of European integration, and one of its key drivers. Established on 1 January 1993, the European Single Market allows goods, services, people and capital to move around the EU freely, making life easier for people and opening up new opportunities for businesses.

European Travel Commission stands in solidarity with Ukraine

The European Travel Commission (ETC), representing national tourism organisations of Europe, issued a statement today condemning the military aggression by the Russian Federation and expressing solidarity with the people of Ukraine.

Europe's national tourism authorities convene to discuss Omicron's impact and the road to recovery

 

BRUSSELS - Last week's Annual Meeting of the European Travel Commission (ETC) in Engelberg, Switzerland brought together the Board of Directors of national tourism authorities and their marketing and research teams from across Europe. Over 70 participants from throughout the continent convened at the meeting hosted by Switzerland Tourism.

Europe travel demand improves significantly, ETC CEO Reveal

 

The European hotels have experienced a spike rate of interest, the European Travel Commission (ETC) has revealed.

Europeans remain upbeat about travelling, despite Delta variant

 

BRUSSELS - Rising COVID-19 cases and the Delta variant might have been affecting Europe lately but travel sentiment among Europeans has remained high over the summer. Almost 70% of Europeans surveyed stated they have plans to travel between July 2021 and January 2022, while significantly fewer expressed unwillingness (17%) or uncertainty (15%) about travelling in the short-term. This is according to the latest research on "Monitoring Sentiment for Domestic and Intra-European Travel – Wave 8"1 by the European Travel Commission (ETC), which provides timely insights on Europeans’2 travel intentions and preferences during the COVID-19 pandemic.

State aid: Commission finds new air carrier ITA is not Alitalia's economic successor and Italy's capital injections into ITA are market conform

 

The European Commission has found that Italia Trasporto Aereo S.p.A. (“ITA”) is not the economic successor of Alitalia and, hence, it is not liable to repay illegal State aid received by Alitalia. It also found that Italy's capital injections of €1.35 billion into the new company are in line with market conditions, and therefore do not amount to State aid under EU rules.

EU adds Turkey in its Travel Passport Scheme

 European Commission announced that the European Union will accept Turkish COVID-19 certificates as of Friday.

European Green Deal: Commission proposes transformation of EU economy and society to meet climate ambitions

Yesterday, the European Commission adopted a broad set of proposals to make the EU’s climate, energy, transport and taxation policies fit for reducing net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030, compared to 1990 levels. Achieving these emission reductions in the next decade is crucial to Europe becoming the world’s first climate-neutral continent by 2050 and making the European Green Deal a reality.

Statement by President von der Leyen at the signing ceremony of the EU Digital COVID Certificate Regulation

 

Dear Presidents, Presidency, Commissioner, Chair,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

On this day, 36 years ago, the Schengen Agreement was signed. Five Member States at that time decided to open their borders to one another.

Commission proposes a trusted and secure Digital Identity for all Europeans

The Commission today proposed a framework for a European Digital Identity which will be available to all EU citizens, residents, and businesses in the EU. Citizens will be able to prove their identity and share electronic documents from their European Digital Identity wallets with the click of a button on their phone.

Towards a stronger and more resilient Schengen area

On Jun 2, 2021, the European Commission is presenting a new Strategy to make the largest free travel area in the world – the Schengen area – stronger and more resilient.

EU digital Covid Certificate: provisional deal between Parliament and Council

EP and Council negotiators reached on Thursday a provisional deal for an EU digital Covid certificate to facilitate free movement in Europe during the pandemic.

EU Announces Vaccine Passports – EU Not Accepting Chinese, China Not Accepting Non-Chinese Vaccines

 

The European Commission today announced the creation of a Digital Green Certificate to facilitate safe free movement inside the EU during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Digital Green Certificate will be proof that a person has been vaccinated against COVID-19, received a negative test result or recovered from COVID-19.

Coronavirus: Commission proposes additional safeguards on travel from outside the EU and updated criteria for applying travel restrictions

 

On 25/1/21 the Commission is proposing additional safeguards and requirements for international travellers into the EU. New coronavirus variants and the volatile health situation worldwide call for further action to ensure that any travel to the EU takes place safely.

European Travel Commission urges EU governments to follow EASA & ECDC guidelines and to lift quarantines

BRUSSELS - The European Travel Commission (ETC) has today welcomed the new Guidelines for COVID-19 testing and quarantine of air travellers from the European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC) and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which provide a clear pathway for EU governments to make informed decisions on travel measures during the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on the latest scientific evidence and information, the report indicates that the prevalence of COVID-19 among travellers is estimated to be lower than is the case for the general population. Most notably, quarantine or systematic testing for SARS-CoV-2 of air travellers is not recommended in the current epidemiological situation.

The biggest threat yet for European Tourism

 

ETC calls on European governments to join forces to agree on common solutions to restore free travel and encourage travel demand in Europe

A new surge in Covid-19 cases and the reintroduction of travel restrictions have halted European tourism recovery with international tourist arrivals to Europe down 68%[1] halfway through the year relative to 2019. That is according to the European Travel Commission’s (ETC) latest quarterly report “European Tourism: Trends & Prospects” for Q3 2020 which has been closely monitoring the evolution of the pandemic throughout the year and analysing its impact on travel and tourism. 

The easing of pandemic restrictions across Europe led to a slight pick-up in July and August 2020 compared to earlier months, signalling people’s enthusiasm and desire to travel again. However, the recent re-imposition of lockdowns and travel restrictions has quickly halted any chance of an early recovery. Looking at the months ahead,heightened uncertainty and downside risks continue to dampen the outlook with European arrivals set to decline 61% in 2020.

Speaking following the publication of the report, ETC Executive Director Eduardo Santander said: “As the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic grips Europe and in advance of the winter season, it is now more important than ever that European nations join forces to agree on common solutions, not only to curb the spread of the virus but also to support tourism’s sustainable recovery, restore travellers’ confidence, and most importantly protect the millions of businesses, jobs, and enterprises that are at risk, so they can survive the economic fallout. The direction of the economic recovery across Europe will depend significantly on the recovery of the tourism sector, a sector which generates close to 10% of the EU’s GDP and accounts for over 22 million jobs.”

Southern European destinations & islands among the most affected.

 

Digging deeper into the above numbers, Mediterranean destinations Cyprus and Montenegro saw the steepest falls in arrivals at a distressing 85% and 84% respectively, attributable to a higher dependency on foreign travellers. Among the other countries most impacted are Romania where arrivals plunged 80%; Turkey (-77%); Portugal and Serbia (both -74%). Island destinations, Iceland and Malta (both -71%) also performed poorly, challenged by their geographical location and strict border restrictions.

On the contrary, Austria appears to have benefitted from pre-Covid-19 winter travel at the start of the year, resulting in a decline of just 44% for the year to September. A greater reliance on short-haul trips also placed Austria in a strong position to attain a less volatile recovery as restrictions in the country have eased much quicker than other countries.

This further highlights the need for member state cooperation across Europe as the disparity of approaches regarding travel restrictions has depressed travel demand and consumer confidence. A recent survey by IATA suggests that travel restrictions are as much a travel deterrent as the perceived risk of catching the virus itself.[2]Harmonised solutions towards testing and tracing, along with quarantine measures will be crucial to mitigating the downside risks across Europe.

Future outlook & shift in traveller preferences

The importance of domestic and intra-European travel cannot be understated in terms of the role it will play in the recovery of the tourism sector over the coming months. In a welcome update, the latest forecasts predict a quicker rebound for domestic travel in Europe, surpassing 2019 levels by 2022. European short-haul arrivals are also projected to bounce back faster by 2023, being helped by a swifter easing of travel restrictions and a lesser perceived risk compared to long-haul trips. Overall travel volumes are now projected to return to pre-pandemic levels only by 2024.

The Covid-19 pandemic is also impacting destination choices within particular European countries. The summer season has shown a significant increase in those seeking to travel to rural and coastal locations, clearly as a result of concerns regarding visits to highly-populated urban locations, where it is more difficult to practice social distancing.

This change in travel preferences may ultimately mitigate the issue of over-tourism and allow destinations to boost sustainable tourism demand. Increased travel interest for secondary destinations will relieve some popular tourist hotspots that previously struggled to cope with excessive travel demand and will help spread the economic benefits of tourism more evenly within countries.

Tags: ETC

European tourism meet convenes to devise ways for sustainable recovery

 

The European Commission on Monday organised a European Tourism Convention to explore the ways out of the coronavirus crisis and chances of making a sustainable recovery in the post-pandemic tourism.

Following nine consecutive years of growth, the tourism ecosystem of the European Union is among the hardest hit by the global pandemic.

Throughout the day, participants mapped out key challenges and opportunities of the EU tourism sector and proposed a set of actions as a basis for pledges and further discussion feeding into the European Agenda for Tourism.

“Tourism — one of the biggest sectors of our economy — is the hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic. The Commission is providing unprecedented support for this extraordinary situation, including financial means for struggling businesses,” said EU Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton.

But participants generally agreed that the new post-COVID-19 tourism era will also bring many new opportunities and new challenges, especially for more sustainable, greener tourism and more information accessible and data-driven tourism, which will enable the digital transition.

“Although the virus is still with us, now is the time to pave the way for a greener and more digital tourism,” Breton said.

Secretary-General of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) Zurab Pololikashvili also called on governments to promote green investment to drive sustainable recovery from the crisis caused by the pandemic.

Monday’s on-line conference gathered more than 700 participants, including national and regional public authorities, representatives of European sector associations and the tourism and travel industry, international organizations, academics and NGOs. Discussions focused on three main themes — resilience; sustainability/green transition; digital transition, data and innovation.

According to UNWTO, the EU saw 66 percent less international tourist arrivals in the first half of 2020, compared to the same period last year.

Tags: European Commission, European Tourism