“INVESTING IN THE EUROPEAN TOURISM OF TOMORROW”

Thursday 22nd of February 2018 Brussels 

Venue: European Committee of the Regions (Building Jacques Delors) – Room JDE51 

Belliardstraat 99-101, 1040 Brussels, Belgium

Investing in the European Tourism of Tomorrow

The Digitalisation and Safety for Tourism partnership, supported by NECSTouR, organises the workshop “Investing in the European Tourism of Tomorrow” in the framework of the European Industry Week.

This workshop aims at stimulating the debate on building public private investment to boost the tourism business resilience, workforce skills and entrepreneurship, through digitalisation, research and cross-cutting innovation, as a response to the tourism of tomorrow challenges.

Tourism is the third economic activity in the EU accounting for 10% of GDP and 12% of total employment. Enhancing the competitiveness and fluent operations of businesses, to improve the productivity as well as to increase the traveller’s feeling of safety and security is a common concern. Safety and security are global megatrends in tourism business, along with digitalisation, sharing economy and authentic experiences.

Key topics for debate are:

• What is the tourism of the future and how Europe must be prepared for it?
• Business intelligence for tourism operators: what data for customised products? what data for destination managers?
• Market trends: how to reply to dynamic and pattern breaking demand?
• Building resilience and security: how to anticipate? how to mitigate?
• Reasons for investing in sustainability (climate change, green mobility): what return for investment?

The workshop “Investing in the European Tourism of Tomorrow” counts with the support of Mr. Hanspeter Wagner, Mayor of the Municipality of Breitenwang, Member of the Committee of the Regions and rapporteur of the opinion Tourism as a driving force for regional cooperation across the EU as well as the Natural Resources Commission of the Committee of the Regions.

PROGRAMME

10:00 – 10:30 Participants registration and welcome coffee

10:30 – 10:40 OPENING

Welcome by Mr. Christof KIENEL, Head of the Natural Resources Commission, European Committee of the Regions

Opening speech by Mr. István UJHELYI, Member of the European Parliament, Vice-chair of the Committee for Transport and Tourism and Chairman of the Tourism Task Force

Introduction by the moderator:

• Mrs. Claudia MONTEIRO DE AGUIAR, Member of the European Parliament, Transport and Tourism Committee, SMEs Europe Vice President 

10:40 – 12:15 OPINION PLATFORM: “THE EUROPEAN TOURISM OF TOMORROW: TRENDS AND JOINT RESPONSES”

• Prof. Dimitrios BUHALIS, Head of Department Tourism and Hospitality, Bournemouth University, UK

• Mrs. Véronique CORDUANT, Director Public Policy – Europe Trip Advisor

• Mr. Eduardo SANTANDER, Executive Director of the European Travel Commission and Chairman of the Manifesto “European Tourism for Growth and Jobs”

• Mr. Juan Jesús GARCÍA SANCHEZ, Head of Public Policy at Amadeus

• Mr. Christoph KLENNER, Secretary General of ETTSA – European Technology and Travel Services Association

Discussion with the audience 

12:15 – 12:45 “WHAT SUPPORT FROM THE EUROPEAN INSTITUTIONS?”

• Mrs. Ana-Claudia TAPARDEL, Member of the European Parliament Transport and Tourism Committee and co-chair of the Intergroup Tourism and Cultural Heritage

• Mrs. Anna ATHANASOPOULOU, Head of Tourism Unit DG Growth, European Commission 

12:45 – 13:00 CONCLUSIONS

• Mr. Patrick TORRENT, Presidency of NECSTouR

• Mrs. Claudia MONTEIRO DE AGUIAR, Member of the European Parliament, Transport and Tourism Committee, SMEs Europe Vice President