EBI is a member of the European Tourism Manifesto, an alliance of over 60 European public and private organisations supporting EU action on the key priorities of the tourism sector. This month, the alliance released a statement titled ‘Tourism must be part of national recovery and resilience plans’, urging Member States to include tourism as a strategic element in their national recovery plans.

Member States have until April 2021 to submit to the Commission their draft recovery and resilience plans, which should also include measures to move forward in the green and digital transitions. The tourism sector, which represents 9.5% of the EU’s GDP and is dominated by SMEs, requires € 161 billion worth of investment to return to pre-crisis levels. In addition, it has long value chains that reach many different subsectors, and it employs people across all areas and demographics. The joint statement highlights that tourism is also an industry that can support the green and digital transitions which the EU is aiming to achieve. Consequently, tourism should receive special focus in national recovery plans.

The full statement can be read here.