# EUR-Lex - 52012DC0086 - EN

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# 52012DC0086

**COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS A European Strategy for more Growth and Jobs in Coastal and Maritime Tourism /* COM/2014/086 final */**

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COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE
AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS

A European Strategy for more Growth and jobs
in coastal and maritime tourism

1.           INTRODUCTION

In 2012, there were 534
million tourist arrivals in Europe, which is 17 million more than in 2011 and
52 % of all international arrivals worldwide. Revenue generated by inbound
tourism reached € 356 billion, which is 43% of the world total.[1] In 2013, the number of nights spent in
tourist accommodation establishments in the EU28 reached a peak of 2.6 billion
nights, up by 1.6% from 2012[2].
Tourism is clearly an important economic activity, especially
in many maritime and coastal regions. However, the changing world economy is
affecting the sector, causing significant changes in tourist behaviour and
markets of origin.

In its 2010 Communication[3],
the Commission announced a strategy for sustainable coastal and maritime
tourism[4].
The European Parliament, the Council, the Committee of the Regions and the
European Economic and Social Committee welcomed this proposal and emphasised
the need for joint action. A public consultation held in 2012 has given a
strong basis for a specific EU initiative[5].

Furthermore, the Blue Growth
Communication of 2012[6]
listed coastal and maritime tourism as one of five focus areas for delivering
sustainable growth and jobs in the blue economy. The European Parliament's 2013
report on Blue Growth[7]
welcomed this European framework and recommended a series of actions to boost
the sector and support the development of sustainable tourism in coastal destinations.

The tourism sector is
growing and the challenge is to exploit its potential in a way that sustainably
produces economic benefits. This Communication proposes joint responses to the
multiple challenges, with a view to capitalise on Europe's strengths and
enabling it to substantially contribute to the Europe 2020 objectives for
smart, sustainable and inclusive growth.

2.           A SECTOR WITH GROWTH AND
JOB POTENTIAL

Europe is a maritime
continent with a coastline stretching from the Arctic to the Mediterranean and
from the Atlantic to the Black Sea. Its sea
basins and coastal regions provide a unique source of natural and cultural
wealth. Coastal and maritime tourism is the largest maritime activity in Europe and closely linked to many other parts of the economy. It employs almost 3.2 million
people, generating a total of € 183 billion in gross value added[8] and representing over
one third of the maritime economy. More than four out of nine nights spent in
accommodation establishments in the EU are spent in coastal areas[9]. In 2012 cruise
tourism alone generated a direct turnover of € 15.5 billion and employed
330,000 people; European ports had 29.3 million passenger visits, a 75% over
2006[10].
Half of European coastal tourism's jobs and value added are located in the Mediterranean,
but the Atlantic, Baltic and Black Sea regions have significant shares too.

Attracting more than one
third of all tourism business in Europe, coastal areas are important for growth
and jobs, in particular for young people, since 45% of tourism workers are
between 16 and 35 years old[11].
However, many of the small- and medium-sized enterprises that make up the
sector struggle with a variety of challenges and cannot adequately exploit this
potential alone. It is therefore essential to address the cross-border
challenges at EU level and promote cooperation and best practice sharing,
including by promoting strategic trans-regional and trans-national partnerships.
A joint European framework is needed to add value to actions at all levels and
to help overcome the difficulties.

3.           CHALLENGES AND A NEW
FRAMEWORK FOR COASTAL AND MARITIME TOURISM IN EUROPE

This chapter focuses
on the challenges to be addressed and proposes a strategy to enhance the
sector's sustainability and competitiveness, to be implemented by the
Commission, Member States, regional and local authorities, private operators
and other stakeholders.

3.1.        Stimulate performance and
competitiveness

Improving
knowledge

Any economic
assessment of the sector is hampered by the lack and poor comparability of
data, both at local, sea basin and European level. Despite some progress in
recent years[12],
there is a need to identify and address the data gaps to improve planning and destination
management. Specific indicators are needed to improve coherence and
comparability of coastal and maritime tourism statistics across Europe and beyond.

Addressing demand volatility

Tourism demand[13]
fluctuates greatly due to changing economic, financial and political
situations. Average expenditure per night has been decreasing since the
mid-2000s, and a further 9% decrease in annual expenditure is expected between
2011 and 2020. This trend affects coastal economies in particular as they are
mainly made up of SMEs and micro enterprises[14].
Moreover, a decrease in transport costs has increased competition between
European coasts and low-cost destinations worldwide, adding to the volatility
of demand. Local destinations are losing their comparative advantage and often
struggle to attract both traditional and new demand emerging globally. Seasonality
is an additional challenge: most of the potential socio-economic gains are
concentrated in the summer months, with many local businesses closed the rest
of the year. Specific strategies drawing on innovative and attractive policies and
products must therefore be put forward to capture the potential of tourists who
can travel in low season.

The sector could adapt to demographic change and develop its offer
to attract the growing number of elderly people[15]. Non-European visitors
taking low-season holidays also offer considerable potential, and the Commission
recently revised the Visa Code and proposed to simplify procedures for non-
European travellers[16].
In addition, coastal and maritime tourism concerns should be addressed in the on-going
"Senior" and "Accessibility"[17] initiatives and in the
"European Destinations of Excellence"[18]. Communication and
promotion initiatives targeting specific non-European countries could also be
developed..

Overcoming sector fragmentation

Due to the continuing
economic crisis most tourism SMEs have limited or no access to credit for
investments and innovation[19].
Moreover, coastal regions often struggle to create and fully capture economic
benefits generated by cruise tourism, though pressures to invest in port
infrastructures and to preserve the environment is increasing.

This is partly because businesses
across EU sea basins do not sufficiently use synergies, which causes
fragmentation and limited economic gain. Sharing best practice between Member States, regions and stakeholders is essential. Cooperation among research institutes,
museums, tourism companies and other stakeholders should be promoted to develop
innovative and sustainable products that respond to visitors' expectations.

The Commission will: 1. Strive to close gaps in tourism data availability, in particular coastal and maritime. 2. Develop a coastal and maritime focus, where appropriate, in EU tourism initiatives, including in promotional and communication campaigns. 3. Promote a pan-European dialogue between cruise operators, ports and coastal tourism stakeholders. 4. Support the development of trans-national and interregional partnerships, networks[20], clusters and smart specialisation strategies.

The Commission invites Member States, regional and local authorities and the tourism industry at large to: · Engage and actively participate in creating networks, clusters and smart specialisation strategies. · Develop more targeted packages for specific markets, such as for seniors or people with disabilities.

3.2.        Promoting skills and
innovation

Investing in people is a condition
for sustainable and competitive growth, but the sector is not attracting enough
skilled personnel. This is mainly due to job seasonality and the lack of career
progression opportunities. Education and training should be used to match the
supply of skills with the demand of the labour market. The Commission has
several initiatives that support this: There will be a 'blue jobs' section in
the EURES Portal, which provides information for jobseekers
and employers[21]; a map of skills and
training needs in the tourism services is planned for spring 2014 and will
enable common frameworks for the sector, linked to the European Qualifications
Framework and the European Credit System for Vocational Education and Training[22].

Better targeted training
policies through mainstreaming of sector needs into EU programmes aim at providing
well qualified, service oriented, multilingual human capital. The new Erasmus+
programme will support transnational strategic partnerships among education,
training and youth institutions and organisations. New sector specific
curricula and innovative forms of vocational teaching and training will benefit
the sector, which is invited to engage and cooperate with higher education
institutions through "Knowledge Alliances".

In the area of leisure boating,
Member States require different competences for yacht skippers, which limits cross-border
development and affects the nautical job market. Moreover, obligations for
qualifications and safety equipment vary considerably between Member States,
thus limiting mobility and market access. Competitiveness
of small coastal and maritime tourism enterprises in an increasingly global
market could be improved by making maximum use of information technology. Existing
tools such as ICT and the Tourism business portal[23] could enhance
visibility, promote innovation and support repositioning of businesses.

The Commission will: 5. Assess the need for EU action on qualification requirements for professional yacht skippers and recreational boating[24]. 6. Assess the need for EU action on provisions for nautical tourism safety equipment. 7. Stimulate innovative management schemes through the ICT[25] and the Tourism business portal.

The Commission invites Member States and regional and local authorities to: · Encourage internet connectivity and promote electronic marketing tools. · Promote translation services for maps, leaflets and logistics information. The Commission invites the industry to: · Actively participate in activities promoting skills and training. · Invest in quality control initiatives for tourism products and staff. · Create and promote open online courses to upgrade or re-orient skills in the coastal and maritime field.

3.3.        Strengthening sustainability

Addressing environmental pressures

Tourism depends on a healthy environment and
the sustainable use of natural capital, but activities are often concentrated
in already densely populated areas, leading to vast increases in water demand, more
waste and emissions from air, road and sea transport at peak periods, more risks
of soil sealing and biodiversity degradation (from infrastructure developments),
eutrophication and other pressures. Scarcely populated and pristine areas can
be affected too. In addition, the impacts of climate change exacerbate
pressures on these areas and could reshape tourism's geographical and seasonal
distribution.

The EU's Natura
2000 network protects vulnerable coastal and marine habitats which, if managed well,
can provide significant recreational opportunities and contribute to sustainable
growth and employment. EU legislation such as the Water Framework and Marine
Strategy Framework Directives require Member States to ensure good status of
coastal and marine waters, a pre-requisite for tourism to prosper. Integrated
Coastal Management and Maritime Spatial Planning help ensure sustainable and
Green Infrastructure[26]
development through smart planning and cooperation between government, public
and private partners[27].
The 'Wales Coast Path', a 1,400 km stretch of Welsh coastline visited by 2.82
million tourists in 2012 and generating £ 32 million in one year[28], is a good example. Eco-tourism[29] is a good opportunity
to develop products that attract eco-conscious travellers, ranging from serving
local products to environmentally-friendly business models and practices.

The sector is well
placed to measure and monitor its own sustainability performance through initiatives
such as the EU Eco-label or the Travelife certification system[30]. Environmental
management systems are renowned for reducing waste streams, improving operational
efficiency and saving money[31].
Specific indicators for the tourism sector already exist under the European
Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS)[32],
and others could be developed under the pilot European Tourism Indicator System[33].

Two recent Commission legislative proposals[34] tackle emission from
recreational watercraft. Furthermore, vessels using shore-side electricity when
in port could substantially reduce fuel consumption, noise and air emissions. To
date however, only a small number of European ports have invested in this technology;
provision of electricity and integration in smart energy grids should be
further explored and promoted.

The Commission will: 8. Promote ecotourism, using the European Eco-Management and Audit Scheme and EU Ecolabel indicators and encourage linking to other sustainability actions. 9. Promote implementation of the Protocol to the Barcelona Convention on Integrated Coastal Management and the relevant Council Recommendation, and promote Maritime Spatial Planning and Green Infrastructure, to ensure the sustainable development of EU coastal areas. 10. Promote strategies on waste prevention, management and marine litter to support sustainable coastal and maritime tourism.

The Commission invites Member States, regions, industry and other stakeholders to: · Implement the Integrated Coastal Management Recommendation and Protocol. · Develop guidelines on minimising impacts on biodiversity and enhancing benefits of recreation and tourism in protected areas. · Develop climate change adaptation in coastal areas. · Improve resource efficiency, waste and pollution prevention and management in tourist areas and by operators. · Promote Eco-Management and Audit Scheme and implement Best Environmental Management Practices and Green Infrastructure approaches. · Promote the use of shore-side electricity and provision of port facilities. · Promote water efficiency measures included in the Water Blueprint[35]. The Commission invites the industry and other stakeholders to: · Develop and promote ecotourism and other sustainable tourism products. · Implement water efficiency measures included in the Water Blueprint. · Actively participate in projects that reduce waste, emissions, marine litter, natural resource use and in water and waste recovery / recycling.

Promoting an innovative,
sustainable and high-quality offer

Changing demand requires
attractive and sustainable products that provide unique and customised
experiences. Yet, potentially interesting sites or items are often not presented
and promoted attractively or not well linked with other coastal tourism offers.
The sector should develop new products promoting attractiveness and
accessibility of coastal and marine archaeology, maritime heritage, underwater
tourism, eno-gastronomic activities etc. A good example is the 'Odyssea
project'[36]
which valorises the economic potential of coastal tourism, maritime cultural
routes and innovative yachting activities through a network of innovative
coastal facilities and ancient maritime routes.

Growing public interest in water-based
sports, such as recreational fishing, boating, wind surfing and diving, creates
potential and can help address seasonality because these activities do not
depend on peak seasons. The growing trend in leisure boating requires that
marinas are safe and accessible but problems persist
because of a lack of berths and appropriate services for people with reduced
mobility. Initiatives such as the 'nautical
tourism network'[37] or the 'Sail West project'[38] which aims
at creating a marine leisure centre of excellence linking maritime counties of
Ireland, Northern Ireland and the west of Scotland could inspire further
networking in the nautical sector.

Quality of service is an essential
source of competitive distinction. It is therefore important to ensure that
tourists can rely on high-quality services across the EU and that this quality
is consistently assessed. A recent proposal on European Tourism Quality
principles aims to increase consumer security and confidence in tourism
services[39].

Insularity and remoteness
– seeing opportunities in geographical constraints

Islands and other remote
destinations have an additional handicap in terms of accessibility and depend
largely on boat services. This poses problems of transport costs, seasonality
and connectivity with the main land and/or surrounding locations, which affects
the attractiveness for visitors and tourism workers. Knowledge of problems is
often insufficient to design adequate solutions. However, these locations should
be developed because they offer job possibilities in areas where other economic
activity is often scarce.

The Commission will: 11. Encourage the diversification and integration of coastal and inland attractors, including through transnational thematic itineraries like cultural, religious or ancient trade routes[40]. 12. Contract a study on how to improve island connectivity and design innovative tourism strategies for (remote) islands. 13. Contract a study to identify innovative practices for marina development.

The Commission invites Member State, regional and local authorities and industry to: · Develop cultural heritage based tourism, underwater archaeological parks (based on work done by UNESCO), and nature and health tourism in coastal destinations. · Use national and regional strategies to ensure the coherence of tourism offers and better accessibility of islands and remote locations. · Develop innovative practices for regenerating and re-using existing maritime infrastructure. The Commission invites the industry to: · Develop a specific network of maritime tourism stakeholders including tour operators.

3.4.      Maximise available EU funding

EU financial
framework 2014-2020 and other EU instruments finance project planning and
implementation giving impetus to the sector's sustainable development. Member States and regions are invited to set up multi-annual national and/or regional
strategies to develop sustainable coastal and maritime tourism and ensure
coherence with their Partnership Agreements and Operational Programmes.

European Structural and
Investment Funds (ESIF)

The European Regional
Development Fund (ERDF) can co-finance sustainable tourism investments under various
thematic objectives linked to research and innovation, access to and use of
ICT, entrepreneurship, SME growth and competitiveness, energy efficiency and
renewable energy use, adaptation to climate change, development of cultural and
natural heritage or employment and labour mobility. Infrastructure investment
is limited to small-scale cultural and sustainable tourism. Under the European
Territorial Cooperation goal, the ERDF can promote the exchange of good
practice, transnational networks and clustering, joint strategies for
sustainable tourism, culture and cross-border trade.

Various new EU funds can
also benefit coastal and maritime tourism through multi-sectoral
projects focusing on innovation, for example under integrated urban development
(in the European Regional Development Fund), under sustainable development of
fisheries dependent areas (in the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund) and under
rural development (in the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development).
Such projects may include funding from the European Social Fund to support job
creation, professional adaptation, training and capacity building.

Research, innovation and
competitiveness

Horizon 2020 is the
financial instrument to implement the EU's research and innovation strategy for
2014-2020. Blue Growth has been identified as one of the focus areas; specific
support is planned for SMEs that want to develop and use innovative solutions,
including in coastal and maritime tourism.

The COSME framework programme
2014-2020, aims to enhance SME competitiveness. Its main objectives for tourism
are to increase demand (particularly during low season), diversify offer and
products, enhance quality, sustainability, accessibility, skills and
innovation, improve the socio-economic knowledge of the sector and promote
Europe as a set of unique, sustainable and high-quality destinations.

Education, training and
culture

The Creative Europe programme
(2014-2020) offers possible synergies with cultural and nature tourism,
including on coastal and maritime heritage. The Erasmus+ programme (2014-2020) could
benefit the sector in terms of employability, new sector curricula and
innovative forms of vocational teaching and training.

Environment, climate change and other funding

LIFE+ funding will be re-launched
in 2014 and is expected to support the objectives of the EU Biodiversity
Strategy. It has substantial scope to finance innovative projects affecting coastal
and marine tourism, including support for resource efficiency. The Proposal for the 7th EU Environment Action Programme
to 2020 and the EU climate change adaptation and mitigation objectives focus on
infrastructure sectors like energy and transport, but also on specific aspects
linked to coastal and maritime tourism. In addition, the
European Investment Bank provides SMEs with financing for investments in
tourism and/or in convergence regions.

The Commission will: 14. Develop an online guide with an overview of the main funding opportunities available for the sector (particularly SMEs).

The Commission invites Member States and regions to: · Develop and implement national / regional strategies on coastal and maritime tourism and projects to be included in the Operational Programmes. · Seek cross-border cooperation on the above strategies and exchange of best practice · Make efficient and effective use of the available funds.

4.           MAINSTREAMING
EU POLICIES AFFECTING COASTAL AND MARITIME TOURISM

Most European policies and
economic activities directly or indirectly influence coastal and maritime
tourism, which can be a driver for economic growth.

Therefore, the Commission will ensure that coastal and maritime
tourism is included in other EU policies like IT
connectivity, sustainable transport, safety issues and freedom of movement for
workers. Cross-cutting policy aspects such as environmental protection,
regional development, training, consumer protection and climate change mitigation
and adaptation policies will also be considered.

In addition, macro-regional strategies for the
Baltic, Atlantic and Adriatic-Ionian promote a strong
tourism economy and co-ordinate
regional, EU and non-EU resources for everyone's benefit. Links with the European
Neighbourhood Policy, the Black Sea Synergy, the Strategy for the Danube Region
and the Northern Dimension Policy will be explored in the future.

5.            CONCLUSION

Coastal and maritime tourism
needs an ambitious policy framework. The Commission, Member States, regional and
local authorities, industry and other stakeholders must take targeted action in
coherence with EU policies that have an impact on this sector.

The Commission will regularly
monitor this process to ensure that actions are implemented. It will then
report to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and
Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions and will assess the results.

[1]               UNWTO Annual Report 2012

http://dtxtq4w60xqpw.cloudfront.net/sites/all/files/pdf/annual_report_2012.pdf

[2]               EUROSTAT database (2013)

[3]               COM (2010) 352 final

[4]               including sea- and
beach-based tourism, cruise and yachting / boating and connected inland
activities

[5]              http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/maritimeaffairs_fisheries/consultations/tourism/index_en.htm

[6]               COM (2012)494

[7]               A7-0209/2013-
2012/2297 (INI))

[8]               Study in support of policy
measures for maritime and coastal tourism at EU level (hereafter referred as"
CMT study"), ECORYS,       2013

http://ec.europa.eu/maritimeaffairs/documentation/studies/documents/study-maritime-and-coastal-tourism_en.pdf

[9]               Coastal
areas include municipalities bordering the sea or having half of their
territory within 10km from the coastline.

EUROSTAT
database (2012) – Nights spent at tourist accommodation establishments by
coastal and non-coastal area - http://appsso.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/nui/show.do?dataset=tour_occ_ninatc).

[10]             Cruise Lines International
Association “The Cruise Industry”, 2013 edition

http://www.senato.it/application/xmanager/projects/leg17/attachments/documento_evento_procedura_commissione/files/000/000/                632/Documentazione_Clia_Europe.pdf

[11]             EUROSTAT database (2012) - Employed
persons by age groups (NACE Rev. 2)-

http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/statistics/search_database#

[12]             Regulation (EU) N°692/2011 of
the European Parliament and of the Council concerning the European statistics
on tourism

[13]             measured as the number of local and international
arrivals

[14]             CMT study

[15]             128
million of EU inhabitants are aged between 55 and 80

EUROSTAT
database (2012) -Population on 1 January by five years age groups and sex-

http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/statistics/search_database#

[16]             COM(2012) 629

[17]             These
initiatives promote partnerships between public and private sectors enabling
certain key groups such as the young or the elderly, people with reduced
mobility and low income families to travel, particularly during the low season.

[18]             http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/sectors/tourism/eden/index_en.htm

[19]             CMT study

[20]             E.g. the Enterprise Europe Network

A study on the perspectives
for clustering in the Mediterranean has been launched in autumn 2013

[21]             https://ec.europa.eu/eures/

[22]             http://ec.europa.eu/education/lifelong-learning-policy/ecvet_en.htm

[23]             http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/sectors/tourism/ict/index_en.htm

[24]             The
training of seafarers for passenger ships under the Convention on Standards
training, certification and watch keeping for seafarers does not apply to
skippers.

[25]             Concrete
available ICT tools include, for example, the Virtual Tourism observatory (http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/sectors/tourism/vto/index_en.htm); Tourism Link Platform
(http://www.tourismlink.eu/tourism-link/); eCalypso Platform
(http://www.ecalypso.eu/steep/public/index.jsf)

[26]             Green
Infrastructure addresses spatial structures of natural/semi-natural areas

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/ecosystems/

[27]             COM(2013)133 final

[28]             http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-25096911

[29]             http://www.ecotourism.org/book/ecotourism-definition

[30]             http://ec.europa.eu/environment/ecolabel/index_en.htm

http://www.travelife.org/Hotels/home.asp?p=1

[31]             A study
on hotels in Spain (Cornell
Hospitality Quarterly, August 2012) showed that those using Environmental Management
Systems are more profitable

[32]             http://ec.europa.eu/environment/emas/about/index_en.htm

[33]             http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/sectors/tourism/sustainable-tourism/indicators/index_en.htm.
It is a tool to
measure and monitor the sustainable tourism performance of destinations

[34]             COM(2011) 456final and
COM(2013) 18final

[35]             Water
Blueprint aims at integration of water policy into other policies

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/water/blueprint/

[36]             www.odyssea.eu

[37]             www.nautical-tourism.eu.

[38]             http://malinwaters.com/about ; funded by INTERREG IV A, it provides financial
support to a number of development project in ports

[39]             COM
(2014) .... final

[40]             E.g. in the Joint Management
Agreement between the Council of Europe and the Commission, promoting cultural
and religious routes