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
Date: 2014-02-20
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: competitiveness, economic growth, foreign tourism, innovation, job creation, littoral, tourism policy, tourist infrastructure, tourist region

EUROPEAN 
COMMISSION 

Brussels, 20.2.2014  
COM(2014) 86 final 

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  

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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  20122.  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  Communication3,  the  Commission  announced  a  strategy  for  sustainable  coastal 
and maritime tourism4. 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 initiative5. 

Furthermore, the Blue Growth Communication of 20126 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 Growth7 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 

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7 

UNWTO Annual Report 2012 
http://dtxtq4w60xqpw.cloudfront.net/sites/all/files/pdf/annual_report_2012.pdf 
EUROSTAT database (2013) 
COM (2010) 352 final 
including sea- and beach-based tourism, cruise and yachting / boating and connected inland activities 

http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/maritimeaffairs_fisheries/consultations/tourism/index_en.htm 
COM (2012)494 
A7-0209/2013- 2012/2297 (INI)) 

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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 areas9. 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  200610.  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  old11.  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  years12, 
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  demand13  fluctuates  greatly  due  to  changing  economic,  financial  and  political 
situations.  Average  expenditure  per  night  has  been  decreasing  since  the  mid-2000s,  and  a 

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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 
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). 
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 
EUROSTAT database (2012) - Employed persons by age groups (NACE Rev. 2)- 
http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/statistics/search_database#  
Regulation (EU) N°692/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning the European statistics on tourism 
measured as the number of local and international arrivals 

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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 
enterprises14.  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  people15.  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 travellers16. 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 innovation19. 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. 

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CMT study 
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#  
COM(2012) 629 
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. 
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/sectors/tourism/eden/index_en.htm 
CMT study 

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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,  networks20, 

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 employers21; 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 Training22. 

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 

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E.g. the Enterprise Europe Network 
A study on the perspectives for clustering in the Mediterranean has been launched in autumn 2013 
https://ec.europa.eu/eures/  
http://ec.europa.eu/education/lifelong-learning-policy/ecvet_en.htm 

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business  portal23  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 boating24. 

6.  Assess the need for EU action on provisions for nautical tourism safety equipment. 
7.  Stimulate  innovative  management  schemes  through  the  ICT25  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 

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http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/sectors/tourism/ict/index_en.htm 
The  training  of  seafarers  for  passenger  ships  under  the  Convention  on  Standards  training,  certification  and  watch  keeping  for 
seafarers does not apply to skippers. 
Concrete 
observatory 
available 
(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) 

example, 

Tourism 

include, 

Virtual 

tools 

ICT 

the 

for 

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Spatial  Planning  help  ensure  sustainable  and  Green  Infrastructure26  development  through 
smart  planning  and  cooperation  between  government,  public  and  private  partners27.  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 year28, is a good example. Eco-tourism29 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  system30.  Environmental 
management  systems  are  renowned  for  reducing  waste  streams,  improving  operational 
efficiency and saving money31. 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 System33. 

Two recent Commission legislative proposals34 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. 

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Green Infrastructure addresses spatial structures of natural/semi-natural areas  
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/ecosystems/ 
COM(2013)133 final 
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-25096911 
http://www.ecotourism.org/book/ecotourism-definition 
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/ecolabel/index_en.htm  
http://www.travelife.org/Hotels/home.asp?p=1 
A  study  on  hotels  in  Spain  (Cornell  Hospitality  Quarterly,  August  2012)  showed  that  those  using  Environmental  Management 
Systems are more profitable 
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/emas/about/index_en.htm 
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 
COM(2011) 456final and COM(2013) 18final 

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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 Blueprint35. 

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. 

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Water Blueprint aims at integration of water policy into other policies  
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/water/blueprint/ 
www.odyssea.eu 
www.nautical-tourism.eu. 
http://malinwaters.com/about ; funded by INTERREG IV A, it provides financial support to a number of development project in 
ports 

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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 services39. 

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 routes40. 

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) 

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COM (2014) …. final 
E.g. in the Joint Management Agreement between the Council of Europe and the Commission, promoting cultural and religious 
routes 

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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. 

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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. 

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