Council Resolution

of 21 May 2002

on the future of European tourism

(2002/C 135/01)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

HAVING REGARD TO:

- the Council Conclusions on Employment and Tourism of 26 November 1997,

- the Council Conclusions on Tourism and Employment of 21 June 1999,

- the Lisbon European Council Conclusions of 23 and 24 March 2000, in particular with regard to the open method of coordination,

- the Conclusions and the plan of action of the extraordinary European Council of 21 September 2001,

- the Commission Communication to the Council, the European Parliament, the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions: "Working together for the future of European tourism",

- the report from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on: "Follow-up of the European Council of 21 September: the situation in the European tourism sector",

- the conclusions of the Internal Market, Consumers and Tourism Council on 26 November 2001,

WHEREAS:

1. Tourism being one of the main sectors in the European economy, because of its contribution to GDP in each Member State and of the level of employment it generates, contributes largely to the fulfilment of the targets established in the Lisbon and Cardiff Process and to the attainment of a true internal services market. It is conducive to a high level of employment and social welfare, sustainable growth, better quality of life and European integration and also to social and economic cohesion, making a considerable contribution to the objectives of convergence.

2. Tourism is a sector of a transversal nature, affected by numerous EU policies. While there is no common European tourism policy, many Community policies and measures in fields such as transport, environment, the new information technologies, food hygiene, energy and tax matters, have a direct effect on the tourism sector, although its interests are not always taken into account before a decision is taken. This calls for a broad framework of coordination between these policies and measures.

3. The development of tourism and sustainability goals being compatible targets, tourism activities should aim at contributing to the preservation and improvement of the environment. Tourism should take into consideration the interests of economic, social and environmental sustainability and the need to preserve natural, cultural and ecological resources.

4. To gain knowledge of the European tourism market, it is necessary to have the appropriate information with which to appraise the tourism activity in the Community.

5. Europe is the principal destination of European citizens, it is clear however that the leading position occupied by Europe as a tourist destination at the world level is slowly weakening, as shown in the World Tourism Organisation reports and forecasts,

EMPHASISES THAT:

1. structures and means existing throughout the Community should be used according to the open method of coordination and taking account of the principle of subsidiarity while encouraging the active participation of enterprises and economic and social players;

2. in addition to the requirements of Council Directive 95/57/EC on the collection of statistical information in the field of tourism, it is desirable to provide for measurement instruments, such as tourism satellite accounts, to improve the knowledge and the analysis of the economic impact of tourism while recognising their importance in the design and execution of Community policies, above all, in situations of crisis;

3. it is necessary, including for the strengthening of the system of consultation and cooperation between Member States and the tourism industry, that a systematic analysis be made on the repercussion of Community measures on the tourism sector, taking into account the interests and needs of the tourism sector in the design and implementation of the measures;

4. tourism in Europe being comprised mostly by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), it is essential to give tourism industry a better access to instruments within the framework of the EU to help them to increase their economic performance and to strengthen their competitiveness; this, in turn, will enable them to enhance their contribution to sustainable development and lead to the creation of wealth and employment;

5. with a view to contributing to the improvement of the global image of the European Union in the world, consideration could be given to analysing the present image as well as to discussing the possibilities of improving it, for instance through the new information and communication technologies, through benchmarking of best practices or through the coordination of certain combined promotional activities by tourism authorities and/or industry, while ensuring that competition among Member States is not distorted;

6. it is necessary to strengthen the role of the Advisory Committee on Tourism, notably with regard to the dialogue between public and private stakeholders;

7. it is important to cooperate within the existing frameworks with the private stakeholders and public authorities in the candidate countries, other neighbouring countries and the Mediterranean region;

8. it is necessary to encourage close cooperation between the Euroepan Community and international organisations active in the field of tourism;

9. it is important to promote the ethical dimension of tourism, in particular with regard to the introduction of instruments to fight against all forms of exploitation of women and children, and to tourism as an instrument to fight against poverty in developing countries, and to foster initiatives to increase awareness from the tourism industry, public authorities and civil society, of the importance of these issues,

INVITES THE COMMISSION TO:

1. present each year to the Advisory Committee on Tourism a written and regularly updated note outlining the various measures envisaged by the Commission which may affect the tourism sector, in order for this Committee to establish a planning of discussions on issues of interest for the sector;

2. involve the Advisory Committee on Tourism in the monitoring of the measures proposed in the Commission Communication: "Working together for the future of European tourism";

3. promote the dialogue between public sector, tourism industry and other stakeholders, notably in the framework of an annual European Tourism Forum;

4. take stock of and to disseminate information on cooperation networks at European level to promote accessible, sustainable, high-quality tourism and competitive businesses;

5. facilitate the creation of a system to interconnect regional, national, transnational and international bodies specialised in tourism surveys or engaged in the analysis of the sector's economic and social reality and in the support to the sector;

6. inform regularly public and private tourism stakeholders on the financial and non-financial EU instruments available to enterprises and regions and their possible use;

7. facilitate the process of measuring the economic impact of tourism through Member States implementing tourism satellite accounts according to the common European methodology, and, if necessary, to adapt the requirements for collecting relevant statistical information;

8. closely follow the work carried out with regard to the definition of sustainable development indicators in the field of tourism in view of the preparation of an Agenda 21 for European tourism;

9. facilitate the voluntary exchange of information between Member States with regard to specific legislation ruling the exercise of tourism enterprises as well as the requirements for access to the professions existing in the field of tourism to facilitate the dissemination of best practices;

10. strengthen the work for the purpose of increasing economic players' awareness of the need to improve information and criteria, comparable throughout the European Union, concerning tourism accessibility for disabled persons;

11. promote actively the use of quality indicators of tourist destinations on the basis of a European manual agreed by all Member States, in particular through the development of information technology systems permitting the exchange of information between tourist destinations,

INVITES MEMBER STATES TO:

1. participate in the implementation of the cooperation approach between tourism stakeholders through the open method of coordination;

2. identify bodies specialised in tourism surveys or engaged in the analysis of the sector's economic and social reality and in the support to the sector, and to encourage their interconnection at European level;

3. promote the good use of Community financial and non-financial instruments so as to benefit the tourism sector;

4. provide the necessary legal and statistical information as well as harmonised tourism indicators to enable an integrated evaluation of tourism activity throughout the European Union;

5. actively launch a process towards the implementation of tourism satellite accounts according to the common European methodology;

6. favour the use, by tourism enterprises and destinations, of sustainable development indicators in the field of tourism, on a voluntary basis;

7. participate on a voluntary basis in the exchange of information regarding specific legislation ruling the exercise of tourism enterprises as well as the requirements laid down by Member States for access to the professions existing in the field of tourism to facilitate the dissemination of best practices,

INVITES THE EUROPEAN TOURISM INDUSTRY AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS OF THE TOURISM SECTOR TO:

1. participate actively in and support the efforts undertaken by the European Community and the Member States to improve the accessibility, the competitiveness and the quality of European tourism;

2. strengthen their representation in European structures in order to promote the political awareness on the tourism issues, in particular in the preparation of the tourism satellite accounts and in the organisation of the annual meetings of the European Tourism Forum,

INVITES THE COMMISSION, THE MEMBER STATES AND THE OTHER STAKEHOLDERS OF THE TOURISM SECTOR TO:

1. encourage the interaction and partnership between both destinations and local stakeholders across Europe;

2. work towards tools and an approach of quality benchmarking and their implementation on a voluntary basis in tourist destinations and enterprises with a view to improve competitiveness and quality in the European tourism sector;

3. strengthen their efforts to facilitate disabled persons' accessibility to tourism;

4. reflect upon the different means to strengthen the position and image of Europe as a diverse and attractive set of destinations and on the future sustainable growth of tourism in Europe;

5. make best possible use of the information and communication technologies for the implementation of the aforementioned initiatives.