Council Resolution of 21 May 2002 on the future of European tourism
Date: 2002-05-21
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: EU Member State, European Union, cooperation policy, economic development, sustainable development, tourism, tourism policy, tourist infrastructure, tourist profession

6.6.2002

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Official Journal of the European Communities

C 135/1

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(Information)

COUNCIL

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
in particular with regard to the open

March 2000,
method of coordination,

— the Conclusions and the plan of action of the extraordinary

European Council of 21 September 2001,

there

2. Tourism is a sector of a transversal nature, affected by
numerous EU policies. While
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 broad
framework of coordination between these policies and
measures.

a decision is

taken. This

calls

for

targets,

tourism activities

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

— 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’,

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.

— 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’,

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
slowly
weakening, as shown in the World Tourism Organisation
reports and forecasts,

the world level

is

— the conclusions of

the Internal Market, Consumers and

Tourism Council on 26 November 2001,

EMPHASISES THAT:

WHEREAS:

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

services market.

true

It

a

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

2.

it
tourism,
instruments,

in addition to the requirements of Council Directive
information in
95/57/EC on the collection of statistical
for
field of
the
to provide
measurement
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;

is desirable

such

as

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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;

2.

a planning of discussions on issues of interest for the
sector;

involve the Advisory Committee on Tourism in the moni-
the measures proposed in the Commission
toring of
Communication:
the future of
European tourism’;

‘Working together

for

it

4. tourism in Europe being comprised mostly by small and
medium-sized enterprises (SMEs),
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 competi-
tiveness; this,
in turn, will enable them to enhance their
contribution to sustainable development and lead to the
creation of wealth and employment;

is essential

as

as well

image of

5. with a view to contributing to the improvement of the
global
the European Union in the world,
consideration could be given to analysing the present
to discussing the possibilities of
image
for instance through the new information
improving it,
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.

is necessary to strengthen the role of

the Advisory
it
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 auth-
orities and civil society, of the importance of these issues,

INVITES THE COMMISSION TO:

3. promote the dialogue between public sector,
notably

tourism
industry
the
in
framework of an annual European Tourism Forum;

stakeholders,

other

and

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

5. facilitate the creation of a system to interconnect regional,
national, transnational and international bodies specialised
the
in tourism surveys or engaged in the analysis of
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
indicators in the
definition of sustainable development
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
the
information and criteria,
throughout
European Union, concerning tourism accessibility for
disabled persons;

comparable

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

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 devel-
opment of
information technology systems permitting
the exchange of information between tourist destinations,

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INVITES MEMBER STATES TO:

1. participate

in the

cooperation
approach between tourism stakeholders through the open
method of coordination;

implementation of

the

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 inter-
connection at European level;

3. promote

non-financial
sector;

the good use of Community financial and
the tourism

instruments so as to benefit

4. provide the necessary legal and statistical

information as
well as harmonised tourism indicators to enable an inte-
grated evaluation of
the
European Union;

tourism activity throughout

5. actively launch a process towards the implementation of
common

according to the

accounts

tourism satellite
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
the
specific
information regarding
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,

legislation ruling

INVITES THE EUROPEAN TOURISM INDUSTRY AND OTHER STAKE-
HOLDERS OF THE TOURISM SECTOR TO:

1. participate actively in and support the efforts undertaken by
to
the European Community and the Member States
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,
the tourism
satellite accounts and in the organisation of the annual
meetings of the European Tourism Forum,

in the preparation of

in particular

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 bench-
marking 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' accessi-

bility 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 communi-
cation technologies for the implementation of the aforemen-
tioned initiatives.