EU Elections Spark Call for Increased Focus on Sustainable Tourism

Tuesday, April 9, 2024

As the EU elections approach, we urge policymakers to prioritize travel and tourism in their agendas and allocate specific budget lines for initiatives that promote sustainable tourism. This declaration aims to steer the travel and tourism sector towards greater resilience and sustainability, emphasizing the need for policy backing at the European level.

The declaration outlines several key commitments:

• Decarbonisation: Enact thorough climate action plans at the organizational level to reduce environmental footprints.
• Consolidating Pledges: Reinforce and enhance commitments to meet decarbonisation goals by 2050, in line with the objectives set forth in the Glasgow and Toulouse Declarations.
• Catalysing the Industry: Encourage a culture of responsibility and awareness by sharing successful strategies and offering expertise to propel decarbonisation forward.
• Support for SMEs: Help small and medium-sized enterprises adjust to climate-related challenges and secure financial support for decarbonisation projects.
• Education and Training: Promote programs to improve and reequip the workforce, addressing gaps in sustainable skills.
• Collaboration: Dedicate to ongoing dialogue to monitor advances and foster cooperation among all parties, working towards a beneficial regulatory environment with European and national policy leaders.

Mr Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Prime Minister of Greece, stated:
“Thank you for inviting me to what I consider a very important event and the signing of an important declaration to the extent that it brings together so many associations and representatives of the tourism industry to highlight what indeed is the most critical issue that tourism is facing today.”

“I’m also very happy that this event takes place on the island of Rhodes because we all remember very well that Rhodes was hit very hard last summer by a very substantial wildfire, but it also managed to recover incredibly quickly. I think this is testimony not just to the reaction of the state, the regional government, the municipality, but also to the way the tourism industry and the community of Rhodes came together to support visitors.”

Mr George Hatzimarkos, Governor of South Aegean Region, commented:
“On this historic day, European travel and tourism associations gather to discuss how the industry can act for a more sustainable and resilient future. It is a great honour for the South Aegean Region to be at the centre of the dialogue.”

Montserrat Barriga, Director General of European Regions Airline Association (ERA) added: “Aviation plays a crucial role in providing much needed regional connectivity enabling economic and social development to regions whose economies rely on tourism. As our industry faces increased political and public pressure to decarbonise, and to become more environmentally sustainable, it’s imperative that industry and policymakers collaborate to find suitable solutions to benefit the environment, the industry, the consumers and the regions.”

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