Amadeus endorses the European Tourism Manifesto to invigorate the travel sector in Europe

According to the European Travel Commission (ETC), Europe is currently the world’s number one tourism destination. Travel and tourism in Europe employ some 25 million people and visitor exports generate €351 billion annually.  Despite this, the ETC sees that the tourism sector is failing to take full advantage of all its potential to generate income and jobs.

Carlo Corazza, Head of Unit Tourism, Emerging and Creative Industries, DG GROW, European Commission, talks about the reasons Europe’s tourism industry has been missing opportunities for growth.

So far, 30 organisations support the European Tourism Manifesto, an initiative led by the European Travel Commission and endorsed by the European Parliament and the European Union. Cláudia Monteiro de Aguiar, MEP, Transport and Tourism Committee, explains why this is so important.

The role of tourism in Europe has gained prominence as it is a labour intensive sector built primarily by SMEs, with high female and youth employment ratios. Paul Rübig, MEP, Honorary President of SME Europe, elaborates on these aspects.

The European Tourism Manifesto calls for an extensive European approach when formulating effective tourism policies. Eduardo Santander, Executive Director of the European Travel Commission (ETC) and Chairman of the Manifesto, analyses the roots of this situation.

Claudia Tapardel, MEP, Transport and Tourism Committee, shares concerns about the European travel industry not advancing at full speed.

This vision is now shared by most travel players in Brussels, including István Ujhelyi, MEP, of the Transport and Tourism Committee.

Juan Jesús García, Senior Advisor for Industry Affairs at Amadeus, stresses that as a leading technology provider for the travel industry globally, Amadeus is fully committed to this project to invigorate the travel sector in Europe.

This fresh look at the travel industry in Europe should include aspects such as reducing seasonality, promoting skills and qualifications, securing environmental, social, economic and operational sustainability, and promoting consumer-oriented public/private platforms for multi-modal mobility.

Antonio Tajani, Vice President, European Parliament, comments on how Brussels can help make the European travel arena more efficient.