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DRAFT REPORT (2025/2120(INI))

On enhancing connectivity, preserving cultural heritage, and driving local excellence in European tourism: destination management and regional tourism growth

TRAN-PR-779440

Committee on Transport and Tourism · Rapporteur: Daniel Attard

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This draft report sets out Parliament's vision for European tourism, focusing on enhancing connectivity, preserving cultural heritage, and driving local excellence through better destination management and regional growth. It calls for improved transport links, sustainable mobility, stronger passenger rights, support for SMEs and skills development, and measures to address overtourism and environmental impacts. It also urges the Commission to propose legislation on short-term rentals, phase out single-use plastics, and create a European fund for intangible heritage.

Committee position. The rapporteur proposes a resolution that calls for enhanced connectivity, sustainable tourism practices, support for local communities, and better skills development, with specific requests to the Commission and Member States.

Key points

  1. Calls on the Commission and Member States to recognise connectivity as an essential service and establish benchmarks for accessibility and affordability of sustainable travel in remote regions.
  2. Requests a Commission study on tourism's dependence on dominant players and proposes actions to limit market concentration and enhance fair competition.
  3. Calls for expanding connectivity to remote and underserved regions, including through public service obligations, and for integrating sustainable tourism mobility into EU transport policy.
  4. Regrets lack of a stand-alone budget line for tourism in the next MFF and calls for dedicated EU funding for sustainable tourism.
  5. Supports clean transport options like electric ferries and hybrid-electric aircraft, and increased investment in cross-border rail and night trains.
  6. Urges that the shift to sustainable fuels avoids hidden costs and new fiscal burdens, and calls for strong passenger rights across all modes, including for reduced mobility.
  7. Calls for legislation on short-term rentals to define host categories and allow measures like caps and zoning in areas with housing pressures.
  8. Calls for a unified sustainability labelling standard and extension of EU Ecolabel to more tourism segments.
  9. Calls for a legislative proposal to phase out single-use plastics in tourism and hospitality.
  10. Calls for a coordinated EU-wide agenda to upskill tourism workforce, including a tourism skills card.
  11. Calls for a framework for cultural volunteering leave and a dedicated European fund for intangible heritage.
  12. Calls for annual reporting to Parliament on sustainable tourism progress using the EU Tourism Dashboard.

Who is affected

  • Tourism sector, including SMEs, destination management organisations, and workers.
  • Remote, peripheral, island, and outermost regions of the EU.
  • Short-term rental platforms and hosts.
  • Cultural heritage volunteers and organisations.

Figures and deadlines

  • 10.5 % of EU GDP projected contribution from tourism.
  • 80 % of travellers visit only 10 % of global destinations.
  • Rail represents around 10 % of journeys, car 64 %, air 17 %.
  • 82 % of Europeans open to greener travel choices.
  • 92 % of tourism SMEs struggle to hire skilled staff.

Legal basis: Articles 174, 195 and 349 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union