Tourism and transport / Follow-up

EESC opinion: Tourism and transport / Follow-up

Key points

The EESC:

  • highlights that tourism will not return to its pre-pandemic level: global interdependency, and greener and more digital tendencies in consumer behaviour will determine new business models;
  • asks EU/Member State/regional institutions, social partners and wider civil society organisations if they are committed to relaunching investments in the long term by taking a comprehensive approach in order to support the construction of a blue economy framework and a joint tourist agenda for 2030/2050, identify appropriate funding pathways and extend credit, since there will be no cash flow for tourism SMEs after the pandemic;
  • asks that new policies be introduced, allocating sufficient financial resources to save the sector, and that a long-term sustainable, smart and responsible European tourism policy be developed. Moreover, a specific EU budget line for tourism is needed, as well as ensuring proper governance in order to implement strategic policy actions, including creating a European Tourism Agency;
  • proposes setting up a permanent EU or national high-level expert "Micro and Small Business Liquidity and Investment Task Force", including the tourism and transportation ecosystems, that could facilitate and support the implementation of the recovery measures.

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