Enterprise and coverage leaders gathered on the Vacation spot Europe Summit – a collaborative occasion organised by the European Journey Fee, Reserving.com and Euronews, hosted by Euronews anchor Meabh McMahon.
Company on the summit mentioned the way forward for the tourism business – balancing development, regulation and sustainability funding.
Miguel Sanz, president of the European Journey Fee, took to the stage in Brussels after an introduction from Euronews’ Meabh McMahon – stressing the significance of journey to Europe’s “life-style, tradition and connectivity”.
He spoke of the impact of digitalisation of the journey sector and argued that extra points of interest and locations have to be accessible to guide on-line.
Presenting Europe as “the world’s favorite vacation spot”, Sanz mentioned the area should attempt to retain its aggressive edge.
Sanz nonetheless highlighted the dangers that include massive numbers of tourists:
“Overtourism is placing pressure on infrastructure, housing prices, and native communities.”
Tourism funding and technique for 2026
Apostolos Tzitzikostas, the European commissioner for sustainable transport and tourism, reasserted the significance of tourism for Europe, calling it a “powerhouse for financial development, for job creation, for social improvement”.
He outlined the EU’s new tourism technique for 2026, which is able to embrace a concentrate on:
• Local weather adaptation and sustainability funding
• SME digital transformation, together with AI adoption
• Infrastructure funding and customer administration
He emphasised that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)—which kind the spine of Europe’s tourism sector—should know how you can entry funding alternatives to stay aggressive. Furthermore, he famous how the European Fee has pledged to simplify financing packages.
“We have to make issues less complicated, and we’ll,” he acknowledged.
Reserving.com CEO warns of overregulation hindering competitiveness
Glenn Fogel, CEO of Reserving.com, raised considerations about regulatory hurdles slowing down Europe’s competitiveness.
Fogel additionally addressed overtourism, suggesting that some locations could must discover pricing mechanisms to regulate customer numbers, however he harassed that governments—not non-public corporations—ought to lead on this difficulty.
“As economies develop, overtourism is barely going to worsen,” he warned, highlighting locations similar to Paris, Amsterdam and Venice.
New enterprise fashions and income methods
A panel that includes business executives and policymakers explored various income fashions for tourism administration:
Nikolina Brnjac, member of the European Parliament, highlighted the necessity for higher vacation spot administration plans, citing housing shortages and infrastructure pressures from short-term leases. She highlighted how Croatia has launched a tourism tax on day guests to ease congestion.
Daniel Attard, member of the European Parliament, harassed that native communities have to be a part of tourism decision-making, as not each area welcomes mass tourism.
Magda Kopczynska, EU Fee director basic for mobility and transport, mentioned aviation’s shift to sustainable fuels, noting that whereas various fuels exist, excessive prices and manufacturing limitations are slowing adoption.
Olivier Jankovec, director basic at ACI EUROPE, in the meantime, referred to as for higher EU help in scaling up sustainable aviation gas adoption to make sure Europe isn’t reliant on power imports.
Journey demand at document highs
George Simon, EVP market improvement head for Europe at Mastercard, highlighted in a presentation that 2024 was a record-breaking yr for journey, with 7.4 billion customers travelling globally. Notably, 83% of surveyed Chinese language vacationers expressed a want to go to Europe, reinforcing the continent’s enduring enchantment but in addition elevating considerations about stress on vacationer hotspots.
Rising journey traits point out that leisure stays are lengthening, with the common journey extending by two further days, benefitting native economies.
Moreover, the manager highlighted the “swift elevate” impact, the place occasions, just like the Taylor Swift live performance, boosted economies throughout Europe and subsequently underscored the ability of organising such occasions in numerous locations.
Managing tourism development responsibly
The ultimate panel dialogue centered on tourism administration methods. A director from UN Tourism, Sandra Carvao, accountable for market intelligence, insurance policies and competitiveness, harassed the significance of measuring group perceptions, noting that benchmarking information is essential to addressing seasonality points and making certain tourism stays a internet constructive for native populations too.
Paul Kelly, CEO of Fáilte Eire, pointed to Eire’s excessive tourism approval rankings, with each locals and nationwide stakeholders sustaining a constructive outlook on the sector. He emphasised the necessity for ongoing engagement with communities to maintain tourism improvement aligned with native pursuits.
Talking on demographic shifts, Kelly referenced “silver tourism”, highlighting the rising market of travellers over 55 and the business’s must adapt infrastructure and providers accordingly.
Coverage and infrastructure challenges
Sérgio Gonçalves, member of the European Parliament (S&D), echoed overtourism and sustainability considerations, noting how Madeira faces comparable challenges to different common locations.
“An amazing vacation spot is barely nice if it additionally gives a top quality of life for locals,” Gonçalves mentioned, emphasising the necessity for strong infrastructure and tourism insurance policies. He proposed decreasing airport fees and increasing low season occasions as potential methods to unfold customer site visitors extra evenly all year long.
Sustainable aviation gas (SAF) was one other key problem for island locations, with Gonçalves stressing the necessity for higher power storage options and the significance of EU help in scaling up SAF manufacturing.
Marlène Bartès, coverage officer for tourism on the European Fee, warned towards utilizing tourism as a scapegoat for broader points, similar to housing shortages, urging a balanced method that learns from areas experiencing overtourism.
Non-public sector’s name for change
Zina Bencheikh, EMEA managing director at Intrepid Journey, argued that Europe’s tourism infrastructure is just not at the moment aligned with sustainable enterprise fashions. She harassed the necessity for structural adjustments to make sure long-term viability, significantly for SMEs that depend on peak-season earnings to outlive by the low season.
“The European tourism construction has been inbuilt a approach that doesn’t match our type,” she mentioned.
Bencheikh additionally famous that catering for travellers over 55 is the quickest rising section for Intrepid journey.
Trying forward: A extra sustainable future
In his closing remarks, Eduardo Santander, the CEO of the European Journey Fee, thanked attendees for his or her insights, underscoring the significance of collaboration in shaping the way forward for tourism.
“This momentum can’t be wasted. It should drive us ahead to create a extra sustainable tourism panorama,” he mentioned. “We wish to be the very best—not simply in sustainability, however in accessibility and each side of tourism.”
