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 obtainable to guide on-line.
Presenting Europe as “the world’s favorite vacation spot”, Sanz mentioned the area should try to retain its aggressive edge.
Sanz nonetheless highlighted the dangers that include giant numbers of holiday makers:
“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 growth”.
He outlined the EU’s new tourism technique for 2026, which can embody a deal with:
• 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 type 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 easier, and we’ll,” he said.
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 manage customer numbers, however he confused that governments—not personal corporations—ought to lead on this situation.
“As economies develop, overtourism is just going to worsen,” he warned, highlighting locations resembling 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, confused that native communities have to be a part of tourism decision-making, as not each area welcomes mass tourism.
Magda Kopczynska, EU Fee director normal 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 normal at ACI EUROPE, in the meantime, known as for larger EU help in scaling up sustainable aviation gasoline adoption to make sure Europe isn’t reliant on vitality imports.
Journey demand at file highs
George Simon, EVP market growth head for Europe at Mastercard, highlighted in a presentation that 2024 was a record-breaking yr for journey, with 7.4 billion shoppers travelling globally. Notably, 83% of surveyed Chinese language vacationers expressed a need to go to Europe, reinforcing the continent’s enduring enchantment but in addition elevating considerations about stress on vacationer hotspots.
Rising journey tendencies point out that leisure stays are lengthening, with the common journey extending by two additional days, benefitting native economies.
Moreover, the chief highlighted the “swift raise” 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, confused the significance of measuring neighborhood perceptions, noting that benchmarking knowledge is essential to addressing seasonality points and guaranteeing tourism stays a internet optimistic for native populations too.
Paul Kelly, CEO of Fáilte Eire, pointed to Eire’s excessive tourism approval scores, with each locals and nationwide stakeholders sustaining a optimistic outlook on the sector. He emphasised the necessity for ongoing engagement with communities to maintain tourism growth 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 companies 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 widespread locations.
“An important vacation spot is just nice if it additionally offers a top quality of life for locals,” Gonçalves mentioned, emphasising the necessity for strong infrastructure and tourism insurance policies. He proposed decreasing airport costs and increasing low season occasions as potential methods to unfold customer visitors extra evenly all year long.
Sustainable aviation gasoline (SAF) was one other key problem for island locations, with Gonçalves stressing the necessity for higher vitality 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, resembling 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 just isn’t at present aligned with sustainable enterprise fashions. She confused the necessity for structural adjustments to make sure long-term viability, notably for SMEs that depend on peak-season earnings to outlive by way of the low season.
“The European tourism construction has been inbuilt a manner that doesn’t match our model,” 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 perfect—not simply in sustainability, however in accessibility and each facet of tourism.”