Nautical and maritime tourism diversification strategies

EESC opinion: Nautical and maritime tourism diversification strategies

Key points:

  • Despite the strong resilience and quick recovery of tourism in times of crisis, it is important to analyse and address the foreseeable challenges and opportunities facing nautical and maritime tourism;
  • comparability with competing destinations should be given due consideration in the assessment process. Smarter legislation and policies are crucial, as is reducing red tape for SMEs;
  • in view of the high dependence of nautical and coastal tourism on marine ecosystems, it is important that Mediterranean countries increase regional cooperation. The EESC advocates establishing a pool of Mediterranean Member States and third countries to jointly address Blue Growth and Blue and Green infrastructure to restore degraded ecosystems;
  • the development of nautical and maritime tourism must be based on long-term sustainable development principles. This requires the development of an operative and measurable tool;
  • the EESC recommends developing a harmonised sustainable indicator mechanism for the sector, especially for island states and regions which are highly dependent on coastal activities. The "European Tourism Indicators System" developed by the European Commission could be an excellent platform to achieve this;
  • waste management is a matter of significant concern in nautical and maritime tourism, with tourism being a significant generator of waste itself. This calls for innovative measures that can mitigate the problems linked to waste, in addition to coordinated, effective enforcement of regulations;
  • the EESC calls for harmonised implementation of international conventions so as to promote capacity building in third countries;
  • the EESC also recommends setting up a "nature heritage coalition" involving islands and coastal areas and key environment players such as foundations and international organisations;
  • investing in people is a prerequisite for sustainable and competitive growth. The sector is however not attracting enough skilled personnel, mainly because it lacks attractiveness in terms of career progression and long-term employment;
  • the EESC recommends that a strategic action plan be specifically devised to attract and retain a steady stream of skilled workers interested in long-term employment in the sector.

Other relevant EESC opinions:

 

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