On 7 September 2021, the European Economic and Social Committee held a public hearing in Rhodes on tourism in the EU. The meeting was held in the context of an own-initiative opinion on tourism from the EESC, following up to the opinion on the Commission communication “Tourism and transport in 2020 and beyond”.
The hearing brought together different voices from public and private bodies, all reporting shared experiences from tourism SMEs after COVID-19. Speaking at the panel on “The SME perspective on Tourism and Transport” was EBI Secretary General Philip Easthill, who highlighted the impacts of the pandemic on SMEs from the boating sector. As smaller businesses, these companies had less resources to face such difficult crises, with island and peripheral destinations in the Mediterranean suffering more losses. The trend towards staycation and outdoor tourism provided a boost to the sector. EBI further stressed the opportunities for destinations and regions that must be seized by EU and national policy-makers, by creating an enabling environment that for instances harmonises reduced VAT rates.
In the panel, Chair of the EESC Study Group Mr Fornea Dimitru positively commented that the understanding of boating as a sector for everyone is increasing. EESC Board member Mr Pierre Jean Coulon further expressed support for EBI’s views and called for the creation of a European Alliance of Tourism, similar to the EU initiative on hydrogen and batteries.