European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism Apostolos Tzitzikostas will present the strategy at the summit. Ireland’s Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, Peter Burke, hosts the meeting under the Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
The framework aims to strengthen tourism competitiveness, sustainability and resilience. It also seeks to improve coordination between European institutions, national governments, regional authorities and industry stakeholders.
The European Commission describes tourism as a major economic sector. It supports more than 20 million jobs and includes around five million businesses. Small and medium-sized enterprises account for 99% of these businesses.
EU tourism strategy targets balanced destination management
A central priority is the more balanced distribution of visitors across destinations and seasons. The Commission wants to support lesser-known regions while helping established destinations manage visitor pressures.
However, the strategy does not introduce mandatory visitor caps. Instead, the Commission plans a voluntary framework that destinations can adapt to local circumstances.
Tzitzikostas outlined three forthcoming measures during the Commission’s 4 November press conference. These include a Council on balanced tourism, a Council recommendation and an EU Toolbox for Balanced Tourism. The toolbox will draw on measures that have already proved effective in European destinations. Moreover, local authorities will retain responsibility for choosing and implementing suitable solutions.
European Commission Executive Vice-President Raffaele Fitto highlighted the importance of spreading tourism’s economic benefits more widely. “Our objective is not simply to attract more tourists to the same destinations. It is to create more value and spread the benefits of tourism more widely.”
Housing, skills and digitalisation enter the policy agenda
The strategy also connects tourism development with affordable housing and residents’ quality of life. The Commission recognises that concentrated short-term rentals can reduce homes available for long-term residents.
Furthermore, the planned balanced tourism toolbox will include practical approaches to managing destination pressures. The Commission also wants tourism workers to access affordable housing near their workplaces.
Skills shortages and digital transformation form another major part of the framework. The proposed EU Tourism Academy will support workforce development. Meanwhile, the Common European Tourism Data Space will improve access to tourism information.
The Commission also plans an EU Tourism Observatory. This initiative will strengthen monitoring and support evidence-based policy decisions. In addition, an EU simplification initiative will examine unnecessary administrative barriers affecting tourism businesses.
For crisis preparedness, the strategy proposes an EU Tourism Crisis Coordination Network. A new EU Tourism Alliance will also bring together public authorities, businesses and other stakeholders.
New research highlights tourism’s wider economic impact
The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre published new tourism impact estimates on 4 November. The research measures direct spending alongside supply-chain activity and household spending generated by tourism income.
Its estimates put tourism’s total contribution at 10.1% of gross value added across the EU countries covered. Direct tourism activity accounts for 4.1%. Therefore, the wider economic impact reaches almost two and a half times the direct contribution.
The figures also reveal significant differences between European countries. Portugal and Croatia record total tourism impacts above 20% of gross value added. Italy and Spain reach around 14%, while Belgium and Denmark remain below 5%.
The Joint Research Centre developed a common methodology using official statistics. The Commission has also added the new indicator to the EU Tourism Dashboard.
Ireland hosts wider European tourism discussions
The Mullingar summit forms part of a broader programme under Ireland’s EU Presidency. Senior tourism officials met in Dublin on 3 November. Meanwhile, the 25th European Tourism Forum took place in County Westmeath on 4 November.
Its theme was “Building a Better Tourism Future: Harnessing Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Digitalisation”. The forum brought together government officials, representatives of EU Member States, tourism agencies and industry stakeholders.
Participants examined how policy and cooperation could strengthen European tourism. Discussions covered competitiveness, sustainability, workforce skills, innovation, digital transformation and investment. These priorities also feature prominently in the European Commission’s new Sustainable Tourism Strategy.
The forum formed part of a wider programme of tourism policy events under Ireland’s EU Presidency. On 3 November, senior tourism officials from EU Member States met in Dublin. They discussed strategic and policy issues affecting European tourism.
The 25th forum followed that meeting and preceded the EU Tourism Ministers’ Summit in Mullingar on 5 November. Together, these events created a platform for discussions between policymakers, tourism agencies and industry representatives.
The discussions took place against the backdrop of tourism’s significant contribution to the European economy. The EU welcomes close to 600 million international visitors annually. Tourism contributes approximately 11% of EU gross value added and supports more than 20 million jobs.
Small and medium-sized enterprises remain central to the European tourism ecosystem. Accordingly, the forum placed particular emphasis on innovation, entrepreneurship and digitalisation as drivers of business competitiveness and sector resilience.
Tags: European Union
