The dialogue, hosted by Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism Apostolos Tzitzikostas, gathered transport and
tourism leaders to contribute to the forthcoming EU Sustainable Tourism
Strategy, expected in June 2026.
Raluca Marian, IRU EU Director,
said: “The EU’s strength as a global tourism destination lies in its
diversity and its seamless cross-border connectivity. Coaches make that
possible.
“They enable visitors to experience multiple countries in one journey,
connect travellers to rural and cultural destinations beyond major capitals,
help avoid overtourism by carrying visitors where no other transport mode can,
and provide a sustainable and affordable form of mobility.
“By strengthening the framework for coach tourism, the EU can reinforce both
its global competitiveness and its sustainability ambitions.”
The forthcoming strategy aims to enhance sustainability, competitiveness
and resilience of the EU tourism ecosystem in response to climate pressures,
digital transformation, skills shortages and global competition. It is expected
to establish a coordinated policy framework at EU level.
Representing the bus and coach sector, IRU emphasised that seamless
connectivity is fundamental to a competitive and resilient tourism ecosystem.
Coaches link airports and ports with cities and rural destinations, facilitate
organised group travel, support cultural and leisure tourism, and enable
cross-border meetings and events.
The sector, largely composed of SMEs, contributes to regional cohesion,
accessibility and travel decarbonisation.
Urban access restrictions were highlighted as a significant operational
challenge. There are close to 650 urban access restrictions across the EU,
often implemented differently across cities and administrative systems,
creating legal uncertainty, planning complexity and compliance costs for
cross-border operators.
IRU proposed greater coordination and a harmonised “one-stop-shop” system for urban access rules and procedures, conceptually similar to the EU VAT framework in travel and tourism, to reduce administrative burdens while maintaining policy objectives.
Raluca Marian said: “Access to cities is vital for giving visitors the possibility to
travel by this sustainable transport mode and avoid the use of private cars,”
“Beyond the needed harmonisation of administrative requirements related to
city access restrictions, access to terminals and dedicated parking areas for
long-distance coaches is essential and becoming ever more important given the
charging needs of future electric coaches,” she added.
IRU also called for investment in terminal infrastructure to ensure
seamless multimodal connectivity and improved passenger experience. Targeted
support under EU instruments such as the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) was
identified as a means to modernise infrastructure and enhance integration
between transport modes.
In addition, IRU suggested that EU initiatives such as DiscoverEU
explicitly recognise coaches alongside rail, reflecting their role in
delivering affordable and sustainable cross-border mobility across EU regions.
Concluding, Raluca Marian said: “We are grateful to Commissioner Tzitzikostas for taking this unique initiative to strengthen EU tourism and the inclusive and comprehensive perspective of all the parts that together enable it. We reaffirm our commitment to working with EU institutions and stakeholders to ensure that coach mobility is fully embedded in a competitive, resilient and sustainable ‘Destination Europe.”
Tags:Raluca Marian, IRU