NoC49/43 24.2.92 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities
OpinionontheCommunityActionPlantoassistTourism
(92/C49/13)
On30April1991,theCouncildecidedtoconsulttheEconomicandSocialCommittee,under
Article198oftheTreatyestablishingtheEuropeanEconomicCommunity ,ontheCommunity
ActionPlantoAssistTourism.
TheSectionforRegionalDevelopmentandTownandCountryPlanning,whichwasrepons­
ibleforpreparingtheCommittee'sworkonthesubject,adopteditsOpinionon19November
1991.TheRapporteurwasMrLicinioCunha,andtheCo-Rapporteur ,MrGiuseppeFrandi.
ItshouldbenotedthatinanOwn-initiative Opinionissuedon20September1990(1);the
Committeecalledforanoverallprogrammetopromotetourism;itwelcomesthefactthat
theCommission hasactedonthis.
Atits292ndplenarysession(meetingof19December1991),theEconomicandSocial
CommitteeadoptedthefollowingOpinionbyamajoritywithtwoabstentions .
1.Introduction 1.2.4.Itwouldbedifficulttoidentifyanyother
humanactivitywhichhas,insuchashortspaceoftime,
developedinsuchamarkedmannerandhadsuchfar­
reachingeffects;thiscouldexplainwhya)itsnature,
characteristicsandimpactarenotproperlyunderstood,
andb)itsimportanceisgenerallyunderratedwhen
definingeconomicpolicies.
1.3.TourismcontinuestobeprimarilyaEuropean
phenomenon ,butsincethe1970sEurope'sshareof
theinternationalmarkethasdropped,aswhatitwas
offeringbecamelesscompetitiveandnewdestinations
onothercontinentsweredeveloped.1.1.Tourismisthebestillustrationofdevelopments
andchangesinsocietythiscentury,reflectingeconomic,
social,political,technologicalandsociologicalachieve­
ments.
1.2.Stemmingfromman'smostdeep-rooteddesires
andaspirations,andsatisfyingasocialneedfuelled
bythelifestyleofdevelopedsocieties,tourismisa
profoundlyhumanactivity,thepopularityofwhichis
growing,keepingpacewitheconomicandsocialpro­
gressandanexpandingnetworkofinternational
relations.
1.2.1.Thedevelopments ofthepast30yearsare
proofofthis:between1960and1990,thenumberof
foreigntouristsvisitingcountriesthroughouttheworld
increasedsix-fold,from69to429million,andthe
incomethusgeneratedincreased37timesover,from
USD6,8to250thousandmillion.
1.2.2.Thesefigures,howeversignificant,arefar
fromreflectingthescaleoftourismasawholebecause
theyexcludedomestictourismwithinnationalborders,
whichisgenerallyofevengreatervolumethanforeign
tourism.
1.2.3.Thecombinedeffectofdomesticandforeign
tourismhasgeneratedpowerfuleconomicactivity,cre­
atingnewproductionrelationships ,changingthepro­
ductivestructureinmanycountriesandhelpingto
financeeconomicdevelopment .1.3.1.CurrentlyEuropeisthedestinationfor64%
oftourists—includingintra-Community tourism—and
collects55%ofworldwidetouristincomecomparedto
71%and63%respectivelyin1970.Thisisdespite
thefactthatthetotalnumberoftouristsenteringEC
countrieshasnearlydoubledoverthepasttenyears,
andcontinuestorise.Inturn,theCommunity'spositive
touristbalancehasbeendroppingprogressivelyfrom
1985onwardsandcould,inthenearfuture,turninto
adeficit.
1.3.2.Thewayinwhichthefeaturesanddetermi­
nantsoftourismhavedevelopedinrecentyearsand
theimportancetourismhasassumedinallspheresof
humanactivitycallforcarefulanalysisandthought
togetherwithmeasurestoboostEuropeantourismand
strengthenitsroleindevelopingtheeconomiesofthe
Community'slessfavouredregions.
1.3.3.Untilveryrecently,tourismwasnotoneof
theCommunity'simmediateconcerns;thefactthatall
Communityinstitutionsarenowgivingmoreattention
totourismistobewelcomed,andistobeinterpreted (')OJNoC332 ,31.12.1990.

NoC49/44 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 24.2.92
theinternalmarket,indirectactionflowingfroma
numberofCommunitypoliciesandinitiatives
implemented inthecourseoftheEuropeanYearof
Tourism.asanacknowledgement ofitsimportanceandrolein
numerousaspectsofhumanactivity,particularlyas:
—anirreplaceablecomponentintheconstructionof
apeople'sEurope,
—aninstrumentforrestoringeconomicandsocial
balanceinthesinglemarket,
—ameansofcreatingjobsandfosteringeconomic
expansionandgrowth,
—afactorforregionaldevelopment ,particularlyin
thelessfavouredregions,
—apowerfulmeansforourpeoplestolearnabout
eachotherandgrowcloser,
—arightforallcitizens.2.4.Inresponsetothetourismsector'sneeds
resultingfromchangesintheeconomicenvironment
andshiftsindemand,theCommissionisproposinga
plantosupplementinitiativesalreadytaken,designed
to:
—achieveanall-roundimprovementinthequalityand
competitiveness oftourismfacilitiesandserviceson
offerintheCommunity,
—encourageawarenessofthedemandfortourism
andsupporteffortstomeetthatdemand.
2.4.1.Inthelightoftheresultsachievedbythe
EuropeanYearofTourism,theActionPlantoassist
tourismwillfocusontwopriorities:
—strengtheningthehorizontalapproachtotourism,
—supportingspecificmeasurestoassisttourism.
Foreachofthesetwopriorities,theCommissionpro­
posesaseriesofshortandmedium-termmeasures.
2.4.1.1.Thefivelinesofactionforthefirstpriority,
areto:
—improveknowledgeaboutthetourismindustry,
—coordinateCommunityandnationalpolicies,
—organizeconsultationwiththetourismindustry,2.Synthesisoftheproposal
2.1.Inthewakeofa)resolutionstabledbythe
EuropeanParliamentonCommunitytourismpolicy
andb)theCommitteeOpinion,theCouncilofMinis­
terscalledontheCommissiontosubmitaCommunity
actionprogrammetoassisttourism.
2.2.IntheExplanatoryMemorandum ,theCom­
missionhighlightstheeconomicandsocialsignificance
oftourism,referstotheimpactofcompletingthe
internalmarketandeconomicunionontourismand
drawsattentiontospecificdevelopmentfactors.
2.2.1.Theeconomicimportanceoftourismisdem­
onstratedbythefactthatitcontributesmorethan5%
oftheGrossDomesticProduct(GDP)oftheMember
Statestakentogetheranddirectlyemploysmorethan
8millionworkers.
2.2.2.Theimpactoftheprocessofcompletingthe
singlemarketwillbecomparativelygreaterfortourism
thanforsomeothereconomicactivitiesandthetourist
industrywillbeamongthosewhichbenefitmostfrom
thisprocess.
2.2.3.Inassessingthespecificfactorsintourism
development ,theCommissionquiterightlystressesthe
fundamental difficultiesfacingthetouristsector,
amongstwhichithighlights:changesindemand,excess­
iveconcentration oftouristsincertainareas,theneed
torenovateandadapttouristfacilities,therapid
increaseininternationalcompetitionandthelackor
shortageofEuropean-scale touristproducts,creating
genuineproblemsforthecompetitiveness ofCom­
munitytourism.
2.3.Analyzingactioncarriedouttodate,theCom­
missionpointstogeneralmeasuresforcompletionof—improveonarrangementsforstaggeringholiday
periods,
—enhanceprotectionforthetouristasaconsumer.
2.4.1.2.Thelinesofactionforthesecondpriority,
areto:
—assistruraltourismbusinesses,
—promoteculturaltourism,
—takeaccountoftheenvironment ,
—improvethequalityoftourismservicesthrough
vocationaltraining,
—givealargernumberofpeopleaccesstoholidays,
—encouragesocialtourismandyouthtravel.

24.2.92 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC49/45
ratioincomparisonwithnewdestinationsonother
continents :a)lowerqualityEuropeandestinationsand
b)lowerinvestmentandoperatingcostsincompeting
destinations .2.4.1.3.TheCommissionalsoproposestopromote
Europeantourismvis-a-visthirdcountries,andsup­
portsredirectionofcurrentpromotionalcampaignsto
presentamorehomogenousimageofEuropeaswell
asadditionalpromotionofnewformsoftrans-national
touristactivities.
2.5.Thelegalinstrumentforimplementation pro­
posedbytheCommissionisaCouncilDecisionadopt­
ingtheplan,leavingituptothebudgetaryauthority
todeterminetheannualleveloffunding.3.1.3.Themaintouristareasarenowfacedwith
newdevelopmentfactorsandarethreatenedbyan
accumulation ofpasterrorscombinedwithnew,
aggressivecompetition .Theonlyvalidresponseisto
restructurethetourismonoffer,byimprovinginfra­
structuresandsettingupandbackingnewfacilities;
thiswouldrequireclosemonitoringandactivepartici­
pationbytheCommunity ,whoseinvolvementintour­
ismaffairswouldbechannelledthroughaCommunity
police.Itshouldbepointedoutthatsuchparticipation
wouldcostmuchlessthanadhocresponsestocrises
whichmightariseasaresultofinadequateordelayed
action.3.Preliminarycomments
3.1.TheCommunityhashesitatedinpreparingand
adoptingatourismpolicywhichcana)establishabasic
referenceframeworkandb)provideguidelinesfor,in
particular,theapplicationofothersectorialpolicies
andregionaldevelopment ;thishesitationhasproved
damagingforbalanceddevelopmentinthissector.The
presentActionPlanstillfailstoremedythis.3.2.ThemajorchallengeforEuropeantourismis
torespondeffectivelytoanincreaseindemandand
requirements ,balancingincreasedfacilitieswithadvan­
tageousdevelopmentoftheculturalheritage,protection
oftheenvironmentandmovestocountera)excessively
artificialdevelopmentoftouristdestinationsandb)
trendstowardsuniformculturalstandardsandcon­
sumerpatterns. 3.1.1.Thedropinqualityoftourismandtheover­
concentration oftouristsinsomeareasmentionedby
theCommission ,togetherwithenvironmental damage
particularlyinthecoastalandmountainareasand
theshortageofEuropean-level touristfacilities,areall
explainedtoaconsiderableextentbya)awidespread
lackofknowledgeofthefeaturesandrequirementsof
tourismandb)thelackofself-regulating mechanisms .3.2.1.Theexpansionthusfaroftourismleavesno
doubtthatitisbecomingawell-established partof
people'shabitsandneeds;thisshouldnothinderthe
Communityfromtakingaction—evenlessdoesitwar­
ranttheCommunity'sdistancefromthematter.Onthe
contrary,theveryscaleoftourismtodayjustifiesand
requiresCommunityaction. 3.1.1.1.InthisrespectaCommunitytourismpolicy
basedonin-depthstudiesanddrawnupinconjunction
withabroadrangeofsectorsrepresentingdifferent
interestsandviews,couldcontributedecisivelytothe
correctionofnegativeaspectsoftourism.3.2.2.Inthisrespect,oneoftheconclusionsreached
bythetourismMinister'smeetinginMay1988in
Gluksburgshouldbenoted;itwaspointedoutthatthe
upturnintourismforecastfortheendofthecentury,
althoughtobewelcomedoneconomicandpolitical
grounds,wouldbecometooheavyaburdenonthe
resourcesavailableandwouldinfactjeopardizetour­
ism'sveryexistenceunlessurgentmeasuresweretaken
toprovideincentivesforamorebalancedformof
tourism.3.1.2.AnalysesofEuropeantourismareunanimous
inacknowledging itsgraduallossofcompetitiveness ,
affectingthewholeCommunity ,andinparticularpre­
dominantlyhostcountriesandregionswhoseprimary
sourceofincomeandemployment istourismwhich
constitutestheirmosteffective,ifnotonly,comparative
advantage .
3.1.2.1.Certainaspectsofthetouristfacilitiesand
servicesonoffer,incomparisonwithotherdestinations ,
nolongermatchthepreferencesandnewconcernsof
consumers,betheyfromtheCommunityorelsewhere.3.3.Communityactionontourismisdesirable,but
itshouldnotinanywayrestrictthecreativepotential
ofeveryregionandMemberState,norshoulditdilute
Europe'scharacteristicdiversity.Thevigourandwealth
ofEuropeantourismdependonitsculturaldifferences,
aswellasdiversityofcountryside,landscape,climate3.1.2.2.Themainfactorinthelossofcompeti­
tivenessistheprogressivedropintheprice-quality

NoC49/46 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 24.2.92
andlocaltraditions.Anymovetowardsuniformity
—leadingtolossofidentity—wouldbedisastrousfor
tourismandforcultureinEurope;theCommunity
shouldthereforeencouragedifferentiation andstimu­
latecreativity .
4.Generalcommentsandexternaltourism,tailoredtospecificaimsand
takingaccountof:
—thestateoftourism,
—theimpactoftheSingleMarketandEconomicand
MonetaryUnion,
—newconsumerpreferencesandconcerns,
—theroletourismhastoplayinregionaldevelop­
ment,particularlyinlessfavouredregionswith
genuinetouristpotential,
—negativeeffects,ofgrowth,interalia,touristsatu­
ration,disorderlydevelopment ofareas,and
environmental damage.
4.2.TheCommitteeendorsestheproposedmeasures
butfeelsthattheyareinsufficientanddoubtstheir
effectivecapacitytorespondtothesector'sneedsor
contributesignificantlytoremovingthenegativefactors
affectingEuropeantourismreferredtobytheCom­
mission.
4.2.1.Hitherto,Communityactionontourismhas
resultedalmostsolelyfrommeasuresintroducedunder
otherpoliciesoraimedatothersectors,whichhave
hadaknock-onbeneficialeffectontourism.4.1.TheCommitteewelcomestheCommission
initiativewhich,forthefirsttime,hasputforwarda
structuredandcoherentplanofconcreteactionto
promotetourism;itappreciatesthepotentialofthe
planandtheprospectsitopensup.However,itmust
drawattentiontotheshortcomingsandgapscontained
intheplan,togetherwiththeevidentinabilitytobring
aboutsignificantchangestoEuropeantourismtoday
ortofacethechallengesofthefuture.
4.1.1.Thisdocumentisimportant,butismerelyone
step—whichshouldbedecisive—towardsdefininga
genuineCommunitytouristpolicyinaccordancewith
therecommendations madebytheEuropeanParlia­
ment,EconomicandSocialCommitteeandCouncilof
Ministers;thisisessential.TheCommitteehopesthat
theplanofactionwill:
—acknowledgetourism'splaceamongsttheCom­
munity'seconomicactivities,
—guaranteeacceptanceofitseconomicandsocial
importanceandtherightofeachpersontohave
accesstotourism,
—becomealegalinstrumentprovidingguidelinesand
alegalbasisfortheCommunity'scommitments .
4.1.2.Deep-rootedinterdependencies andinter­
relationsexistbetweentourismandmostothersectors
ofhumanactivity;forthisreasontourismhasadirect
influenceon,orisdirectlyinfluencedby,manyof
thesesectorsandprovidesimpetusforseveralothers.
MeasuresadoptedbytheCommunityinanysphere
shouldthereforetakeaccountoftheproblems,needs
andfeaturesofthetourismsector.
4.1.2.1.TheCommissionproposestostrengthenthe
horizontalapproachtotourism;thisisaworthycontri­
butiontodovetailingpoliciespursuedtodatebythe
Communitywithtourism.However,onlyagenuine
Communitytourismpolicywillguaranteethatactions,
programmesandmeasuresadoptedinotherareascan
bemadecompatiblewiththeobjectivesofthetourism
sector.
4.1.2.2.TheCommitteethereforeurgesthatatwin­
trackCommunitytourismpolicybedefinedforinternal4.2.1.1.Itistruethattourism'sincreasinglyclose
linkswithotheractivitiesmeanthatmeasuresfor
developingtheseotheractivitiesintheendalsobenefit
tourism.However,tourismhasnowassumedan
importanceandscalethatwarrantseparatetreatment.
Tourismmustbegiventhestatusofafullyfledged
policy,beingbothautonomousandcomplementary
tootherpolicies,particularlyenvironment ,regional
development ,employment ,cultureandtransport.
4.2.2.Tourismisamajor,increasinglyimportant,
sectorofeconomicactivityand,assuch,tourismpolicy
shouldbeconsideredabasicelementofEuropeanecon­
omicpolicy,thusensuringthatitsroleinpromoting
integrationisstrengthenedandistakenintoaccount
whenotherCommunitypoliciesaredrawnup.
4.2.2.1.Forthisreasonitisvitalthat,whenthe
TreatyofRomeisnextrevised,expressreferencebe
madetotourism.
4.2.3.Transportisoffundamentalimportanceto
tourismandtourismistotallydependentontransport;
forthisreason,developmentoftourismintheCom­
munitywillbegivenasignificantboostbyeffective

24.2.92 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC49/47
applicationofCommunitytransportpolicy.Improved
transportinfrastructures ,developmentofroadandrail
networks,lesscongestionatairportsandmoreeffective
air-trafficmeasureswillallcontributetospeedier,trou­
ble-freetouristtravel.torssuchasdisasters,terrorismandcivilstrife;itshould
bereadytorespondpromptlytothesesituations.
4.3.3.TheCommitteewelcomestheCommission's
evidentwillingnesstocoordinatenationalpoliciesand
actionsandalso,aboveall,toextendthedialogueto
includeemployers'andemployees'representatives ,in
particulartouristindustryrepresentatives .However,
tourisminvolvesmanydisciplinesandthereisadeep
rootedinterdependence betweentourismandother
activities:thiscallsforconstantmonitoringandcoordi­
nationoftourism-orientated actionswhicharebeing
devisedinvariousCommunitybodies.4.2.3.1.Easieraccesstotheairtransportsector,as
aresultofCommissionproposalstoliberalizethis
sector,couldbeofbenefittotourismnotonlybecause
therewouldbemoretransportavailable,butalso
becauseairfareswouldforseeablvcomedown.
4.2.3.2.TheCommission documentmakesnomen­
tionoftheadvantagesofcruiseships.Cabotagerules
appliedbysomeMemberStatesrestrictthisactivityin
somepartsoftheMediterranean .Itistobehopedthat
theseobstaclescanbeeliminatedwiththedevelopment
oftheCommunityshippingpolicyandpossiblythe
establishmentofaEuropeanshippingregister.4.4.Commissionproposalsontaxalignmentshould
takeaccountofthespecificcircumstances andcharac­
teristicsoftourism,interaliaa)thefactthattourist
servicesaretaxedatthepointofconsumptionwhich
penalizestheexportoftouristservices,andb)the
possiblenegativeimpactofValueAddedTax(VAT)
alignment.Community-wide measuresshouldseekto
preventunfaircompetition .
4.4.1.ItisalsoimportantthattheCommission
shouldconsiderthecaseforlowerVATonruraltour­
ism,notonlybecauseofthesizeofthebusinesses
involved,butalsobecauseofthepositiveimpactofthis
typeoftourismonfarmingandtheenvironment .Itis,
infact,verydifficulttoimaginethatthesebusinesses
shouldbesubjecttothesamerulesandtaxrequirements
aslarge-scalehotels.TheCommitteeendorsestheintro­
ductionofatransitionperiodfortheplannedabolition
ofdutyfreeshops,soastomitigatethedifficultiesthis
wouldcause.4.3.TheCommissionrecognizesthat'Europeasa
wholeissteadilylosingworld-marketshareasatourist
destination',eventhoughtheMemberStatesarea
majornucleusoftouristactivitybeingboththesource
ofandhostforworld-widetourism,externalor
internal;thisisnotadequatelyreflectedinthemeasures
advocatedbytheCommission .Moreover,theCom­
missionneitheranticipatesnorconsidersproblems
whichmightcropupasaresultoftheexpectedgrowth
intourism,whichmostobserversbelievewillbethe
mainworld-wideactivitybytheendofthecentury.
5.Specificcomments4.3.1.Inordertocopewiththesecircumstancesand
guaranteeEuropeantourism'scapacitytorespondto
theneedsandconcernsnotonlyofEuropeansbutalso
ofvisitorsfromthirdcountries,theCommitteefeelsit
isvitaltoeliminateinfrastructural short-comings ,to
modernizeanddiversifytourismonoffer,remedy
imbalancescausedbytouristoverload,boostqualityat
alllevelsanddevelopnaturalresourcesandcultural
heritagetoadvantage .5.1.Anyoverallevaluationoftheproposedmeasures
woulddependonprioranalysisbytheCommissionof
earlierCouncilmeasures,including :
—theCouncilResolutiononaBetterSeasonaland
Geographical DistributionofTourism [doc.
COM(86)32final],
—theCouncilRecommendation onStandardized
InformationonExistingHotels,
—theCoundilRecommendation ontheSafetyof
ExistingHotelsintheeventoffirerisks.
5.1.1.Anumberofmatterscoveredbyprevious
decisionsaredealthwithagaininthepresentCom­
missiondocument,withoutpriorassessmentofresults4.3.1.1.TheCommission ,respectingtheprincipleof
subsidiarity ,shouldanalyzewaysofmovingbeyond
thissituationandadoptingsuitablemeasuresoncein­
depthstudieshavebeencarriedoutintotheproblems
facingtourism.
4.3.2.Tourismisavulnerablesectorparticularly
exposedtoexternalfactors.TheCommissionshould
takeaccountofthisandadoptsuitablemeasuresto
remedyanomaloussituationstriggeredbyexternalfac­

NoC49/48 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 24.2.92
achievedtodate;thismakesitdifficulttoassessthe
validity,interestandsuitabilityofthemeasuresnow
advocated .
5.1.2.Itwouldbeequallyhelpfultoknow,inclear
terms,whichpriorityobjectivestheCommission
intendstoapplytoitsTourismActionPlan.TheCom­
missiondocumentreferstoseveralobjectives,butthese
nevercoincideanditisnotknowwhichonesaregiven
priority.entidentities.Tourismshouldbaseitsgrowthonthese
differences,inkeepingwiththeculturalvaluesofeach
MemberStateandregion.Tourismmustnotbeuniform
andunchanging,rather,itshouldbeenrichedbycul­
turalandregionaldiversity.
5.3.2.TheCommitteeendorsesthemeasurespro­
posedbytheCommission .However,inlinewithits
Opinionon'TourismandRegionalDevelopment'^),
therecommendations ofwhichareherewithreaffirmed,
theCommitteefeelsthat:
—aprocedureshouldbeprovidedspecificallyfor
studyingthismajormarketsector,
—measuresandproceduresmustbedevisedtodevelop
facilitiesandservicestructures,sothatvisitorsfind
culturalroutesmoreeasilyaccessible,
—thereisanurgentneedforlinkswithexistingcul­
turalservicestructures,
—extensiveactionmustbedevisedtoprotectand
makethebestuseofthearchitecturalheritage,as
wellaseachcountry'sculturalvalues,interaliaits
craftsandfolklore.5.2.Themeasuressetoutintheannextothepro­
posedCouncilDecisionareinterestingandmerit
endorsement .However,theydogiverisetoanumber
ofthoughtsandcomments.
5.2.1.TheCommissionacknowledgesthattourism
isfacingmajorproblemscausedbya)regionaldispari­
tiesandb)theneedtorenovateandadaptsometourist
facilities.However,thisisnotreflectedintheproposed
measures .
5.2.2.Touristoverloadisoneofthemostcompli­
catedanddamagingproblemsconfrontingthetourist
industry.However,noneoftheproposedmeasures
dealswiththismatter.TheCommitteefeelsitisvital
tocarryoutastudyintothisproblemtodetermineits
extentinordertoimplementremedialaction.
5.2.3.Thelackorshortageoftouristproductscan
onlybeovercomebygreaterdiversification inthetour­
ismsector.However,thealternativeformsoftourism
proposedbytheCommissionfallshortofmakingbetter
useofexistingpotential,culturaldiversityandthe
capacityforinnovationandcreativitydemonstratedby
Europeantourism.TheCommitteefeelsthatthetourist
productsproposedbytheCommissionarenotenough
andothersshouldbepromotedsuchashealthholidays
(especiallyatspas)andsailingholidays.5.4.Tourismandtheenvironment
5.4.1.Theenvironment ,togetherwithculture,is
abasiccomponentoftourism;thewholeprocessof
developingtourismshouldthereforeaimtoprotectthe
environmentanduseittobestadvantage .
5.4.2.Tothisend,theCommitteeendorsesthe
measuresproposedbytheCommissionbutconsiders
that:
—thequestionoftourismandtheenvironmenthasto
beviewedintheoverallcontextoftheenvironment
andtheeconomy;solutionsmustalsobedeveloped
inthiscontext,
—the'environmentprize'thattheCommissionpro­
posestosetupmustprovideanincentiveandexam­
pleandforthisreasonshouldbeofrealvalue;
theconditionsgoverningitsawardshouldinturn
requireagenuinecontributiontowardsprotecting
andmakingbestuseoftheenvironment .
5.4.3.TheCommitteefeelssupportmustbegiven
topilotinitiativesonexchangingexperienceinsite
management .Particularemphasisshouldbelaidon
ecological/spaareas.5.2.4.TheCommissiondocumentdoesnotbroach
thematteroftouristbusinesses,buttheCommitteefeels
thatthePlanofActionprovidesagoodopportunityto
consider,withintheCommission'sareaofresponsi­
bility,touristbusinesspolicy,especiallyregardingthe
promotionoffirmsandimprovementstotheirecon­
omicenvironment ,withparticularemphasisonsmall
andmedium-sizedenterpriseswhichmakeupthelarg­
estpartofthissector.
5.3.Culturaltourism
5.3.1.TheCommunity'sculturallandscapeismade
upofapatchworkofMemberStates,possessingdiffer­(i)OJNoC332,31.12.1990.

24.2.92 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC49/49
5.5.Ruraltourism—itisimportanttoalignroadtrafficsignsandsystems
anddeveloptouristattractionsinrural'areasto
advantage,and,inparticulartoencouragepro­
ducers'associationstocooperateinthemarketing
oftouristfacilities,
—itismostusefultoencourageorganizationand
coordinationoftourisminruralareas,
—theobjectivesforruraltourismcanonlybeachieved
ifthisformoftourismcanbenefitfromsuitabletax
advantagestocompensateforthecleardisadvan­
tagessufferedbyruralareasinmattersoftourist
operations .
5.6.Socialtourismandyouthtravel5.5.1.Tourismcanmakeavaluablecontributionto
ruralareas,notonlyintermsofadditionalincomefor
farmersbutalsobecauseitcanhelpmaintaincultural
values,interaliabyhighlightinglocalarchitectural
styles.However,theincreaseinruraltourismshould
notexpecttoreplacefarming,ratheritshouldcomp­
lementandfitinwithfarmingactivities.
5.5.2.Withthisinmind,theparametersforCom­
munityfundingshouldbeasfollows:
—thebeneficiaryshouldbeafarmerorpermanent
localresident,
—existingbuildingsshouldberefurbishedforuseas
touristfacilities,particularlyiftheyareofoutstand­
ingarchitecturalinterest,
—theinitiativeshouldbelinkedtotheproductionand
developmentoflocalfarmproduce,foodandwine
orcrafts,
—theinitiativeshouldcontributetoconservation of
thenaturalandfarminglandscapeandspread
knowledgeoftraditions,customsandlocalculture.
5.5.3.TheCommitteefeelsthatanythinkingon
futureCommunitymeasuresinthissphereshould
acknowledgethatruraltourismisnotanautonomous
sectorbutonecomponentoftourismasawhole.The
Committeestressesthatitisvitaltodefinetheconcept
ofruraltourismor,inawiderandmorecomprehensive
sense,tourisminruralareas.Conceptsandconditions
varygreatlyfromoneMemberStatetoanother,and
oftenrefertodifferentfacilities.Theconceptoffarm­
basedtourism,inwhichfarmersoffertouristaccomod­
ationaspartoftheirbusiness,alsoneedstobeclarified.
Farm-basedtourismrequiresspecificCommunity
measures,quitedistinctfromthoserelatingtomod­
ernizationofagriculturalstructures.
5.5.4.ThemeasuresproposedbytheCommission
aretobeendorsedaslongasthe'Communityaction
topromoteruraltourism'^)isfullyputintopractice.
However,thefollowingshouldbetakenintoaccount:
—marketingservicesandamenitiesinthisformof
tourismrequiresastandardizedclassification so
thatlikeiscomparedwithlikebetweenthevarious
MemberStates,5.6.1.TheCommitteehighlightstheimportanceof
thephenomenondefinedas'socialtourism'forachiev­
ingabalanceddistributionoftouristmovement
throughouttheyear.
5.6.2.Socialtourismdoesnotmeananewtypeof
tourism;itmeansanytouristdemandinitiatedand
organizedbynon-profitmaking,socialbodiesfora
specificsectorofthecommunitywhoaremembersof
theseorganizations .
5.6.3.Inviewofthespecificnatureofthistypeof
tourismandtheopportunities itoffersforoffsetting
thedisadvantagesofover-concentration duringpeak
touristperiods,theCommitteerecommendsthatthe
Communitybodiesprovidemoreintensivesupportto
socialtourism,inlinewiththeguidelinessetoutbelow.
5.6.3.1.Therearetwodistinctcomponentsofsocial
tourism :
—socialtourismorganizedaccordingtomarketrules,
butnon-profitmaking,
—subsidizedtourism.
5.6.3.2.TheCommissionshoulddefinesuchcom­
ponentswiththeaidofadatabaseonsocialtourismin
Europe.
5.6.3.3.Itisvitallyimportanttosetupasingle
Europeanstructuredealingwithsocialtourismtopro­
moteapointofcontactbetweensupplyanddemand
tomaketheuseofhostfacilitiesmoreprofitable.
5.6.4.Socialtourismorganizationsshouldbepro­
tectedfromunfaircompetitionfromthecommercial
sectorbutremainsubjecttothesamelegislative
arrangements . (>)Doc.COM(9C>)438final.

24.2.92 NoC49/50 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities
5.6.5.Inthecontextofspa-basedtourism,particular
accountshouldbetakenofhealthquestionsandthe
needsoftheelderly:tothisend,feasibilitystudiesfor
pilotinitiativesmustbeplanned.5.8.2.Moreover,promotingEuropeantourismboth
boostsandprojectsEurope'simageintheworldand
thevalueswhichdifferentiateitfromothercontinents .
5.8.3.TheCommitteewelcomestheCommission's
intentiontopromoteEuropeantourisminthird
countries,particularlyintheUnitedStates,Australia
andJapan;howeveritcannotbutdeplorethepusilla­
nimityoftheproposals.
5.8.4.CompletionoftheSingleMarketandcreation
oftheEconomicandMonetaryUnionwillmakeintra­
Communitytourismeasierbutanyimpactonthe
demandfortourismfromthirdcountrieswilldepend
onpromotingandpublicizinginformationonEurope;
thisisnotanaspectbroachedbytheCommission .
5.8.5.MemberStatestogetherhavethelargesttravel
salesnetworkintheworldandthiswillhelpguarantee
thatCommunitypromotionmeasureswillbemore
effective.Itisthereforerecommended thattheCom­
missionanalyzethisaspectandlookintothepossibility
ofsettingupamechanismtopromoteEuropeantour­
ism,involvingofficialtourismbodiesandotherorganiz­
ationsfromthevariousMemberStates,inlinewith
previousrecommendation bytheCommitteeonthis
matter(1).
5.8.6.TheCommitteebelievesthatCommunity
campaignstoassistEuropeantourismshouldbedrawn
upwithextensiveinvolvementofMemberStates,in
particular,representatives ofsectoralinterests;these
campaignsshouldbelaunchedinacoordinatedmanner
anditisabsolutelyvitalthatanadequatebudgetbe
provided.
5.8.7.Suchcampaignsshouldbecarefullystruc­
tured,inconjunctionwiththoselaunchedbyindividual
MemberStates.5.7.Vocationaltraining
5.7.1.Improvements invocationaltrainingatall
levelsandmovestopromotearespectedroleforwork
inthetouristsectoraretwoconditionsvitalto1)
achievingabetterqualityoftouristserviceand2)
keepingpacewiththechangescontinuallyfacedby
tourism.
5.7.2.Europewas,ofcourse,apioneerinestab­
lishingtherespectedroleofvocationaltraininginthe
tourismsectorandstillmaintainsahighleveloftraining
capacity,butthelevelandqualityofservicehavebeen
deteriorating .This,togetherwiththedecisionto
emphasizequalityofservice,requiresaredoublingof
effortstoimprovebothtrainingandthesystemof
qualifications .
5.7.2.1.EffortsundertakenbytheCommunityin
mattersofvocationaltrainingatbothtechnicaland
universitylevelshouldbeespeciallyboostedinthe
tourismsector,asithasbeenshowingagrowingneed
formanagementandspecializedstaff;here,theimpact
offreedomofmovementforpeopleismoreaccentu­
ated.Inthisrespect,itisvitalthattrainingmatchfirms'
needswhilestillrespondingtoworkers'concerns.
5.7.3.TheCommitteeendorsestheCommission's
proposedmeasuresbutfeelsthat:
—growthanddiversification intheservicesonoffer
shouldbemonitoredsothatanynecessaryadjust­
mentscanbemadetovocationaltraining,
—applicationofthelatestmethodsandhigh-tech­
nologytoactivitiesandfirmsinthetouristsector
shouldbeaccompaniedbyappropriatevocational
training,
—Communityactionshouldincludepromotingmulti­
skillvocationaltrainingforseasonalworkers.5.9.Staggeringofholidays
5.9.1.Staggeringofholidays,bothbydestination
andbydate,meansrationalizeduseoftouristresources
andbetteremploymentofavailablefacilities;italso
meansprovidingbetterservice.This,however,requires
specificactionandsupportfromtheCommunityso
thattourismcandevelopinareaswhereithasnot
traditionallydoneso,sincetourismtendstofocuson
themoreobviouslysuitableareaswhichconsequently
attractmoreprivateinvestment .
5.9.2.Bypromotingholidaysthroughouttheyear,
theCommunitywillhelpcoordinatetouristtravelso5.8.PromotingEuropeantourisminthirdcountries
5.8.1.TheneedtopromoteEuropeantourismis
becomingincreasinglyurgentascompetitionelsewhere
intheworldisgatheringstrength;thisisnotonly
becausethenumberofEuropeanstravellingtoother
continentsisontheincreasenowthatlivingstandards
arehigherandtravelismoreaccessible,butalso,and
aboveall,becausetouristsfromthirdcountriesare
travellingtonon-European destinations .Moreover,
pastexperiencehasshownthatanisolatedresponseto
thisisineffective;thisdemonstratestheneedforaction
focussedatEuropeanlevel. 0)OJNoC332,31.12.1990.

24.2.92 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC49/51
astoavoidover-crowding anddamagetotheenviron­
mentandheritage,whichwouldentailseriousconse­
quences.
5.9.3.Launchingnewdestinationstorelievethebur­
denonthosealreadyoperating,increasingindividual
awarenessandpersuadingcompaniestocooperateall
requiresustainedandcomprehensive back-upfromthe
Community .
5.9.4.Dialoguewitheducationandemployment
officialsshouldbeestablishedimmediatelyinthis
respect.TheCommission isinapositiontoencourage
suchdialogueandshoulddoso.statisticsontourism,buttheyareneithercomparable,
despitethefactthattheyusethesameconcepts,nor
complete.
5.10.3.TheCommitteeendorsestheCommission
proposals,butfeelsthatawide-rangingstudyonEuro­
peantourism,coveringinternalandexternaltourism,
isvital,sothattheactualscaleandimportanceof
tourismcanbefullyassessed,togetherwithitsimpact
onemployment ,production,investment,etc.
5.10.4.Anysuchstudiesmustbemadeavailableto
interestedorganizationsandfirms.
6.Finalcomments
6.1.TheCommitteeisapprehensiveastotheCom­
mission'sabilitytocarryouttheplan,giventhatits
budgetisnotdefined,butisapportionedatthediscre­
tionofthebudgetaryauthority,withnoindicationof
whatamountswouldbenecessary.
6.2.Finally,inviewofthedifferencesbetweenMem­
berStatesastotheconceptoftourism,thusrendering
analysisanddiscussionofthematterdifficult,itwould
bemostvaluablefortheCommissiona)tosetupa
workinggrouptodrawupatourismglossaryandb)
todevotespecialattentiontomonitoringthequalityof
tourismonoffer.5.10.Improvingknowledgeofthesector
5.10.1.Thereislittleawarenessofeitherthescale
ortheeconomicandsocialimpactoftourisminEurope
—asdemonstrated invariousCommission documents
whichprovideonlyincompleteindicatorsbecausethey
donotcoverthewholesituationandinmanycasesare
incompatible .
5.10.2.Bothinternationalorganizationssuchasthe
WorldTourismOrganization (WTO)andtheOrgan­
izationforEconomicCooperationandDevelopment
(OECD),andMemberStates,haveforalongtimehad
DoneatBrussels,19December1991.
TheChairman
oftheEconomicandSocialCommittee
FrancoisSTAEDELIN