EU ministers have put the European tourism sector firmly on a ‚transformation‘ path towards more social sustainability – especially greater benefits for local people in destinations – at a meeting in Palma de Mallorca this week.

In their Palma Declaration, after an informal meeting held under the current Spanish EU Presidency, ministers agreed on the need to fundamentally transform the sector, which implies redesigning public policies to adapt them to present and future needs, especially in terms of social sustainability.

Social sustainability is seen as a way of optimising the wealth that tourism leaves in a territory. The Spanish presidency claims to have raised the debate on how to improve coexistence between tourists and residents, and how to strike a balance so that tourism has a beneficial local impact.

Palma Declaration

The stated aim of the adopted Palma Declaration is „to ensure that Europe supports its action towards a new sustainable model of tourism that is greener, more digital, inclusive, resilient and responsive to the challenges ahead, and that helps contribute to further job creation and growth, ensuring the long-term well-being of all those in the value chain, especially local populations“.

The document also calls for „encouraging the creation of an environment conducive to the development of tourism initiatives that foster cooperation between member states, in particular through the exchange of best practices and the implementation of cross-border projects“.

In the Declaration, the EU member states expressly declared their willingness to support research, knowledge and innovation in tourism, fostering the competitiveness of businesses in this industry and creating a favourable environment for its development.

Tourism at centre of agenda

Rosana Morillo, Spanish secretary of state for tourism, welcomed the agreement, saying: „With this declaration, the member states expressly declare their willingness to support research, knowledge and innovation in tourism, fostering the competitiveness of businesses in this industry and creating a favourable environment for its development, paying special attention to SMEs and micro-enterprises, and to tourism stakeholders in rural and less accessible outermost regions.

„Our commitment, and the main objective of the Palma Declaration, is to put tourism at the centre of the EU’s agenda“, she emphasised.

Workforce professionalisation

Ministers also made it a priority to improve the quality of employment and training in tourism, as well as the skills of the workforce, as a way of enhancing the prestige and reputation of the sector.

The tourism industry must boost the skills and training of workers through collaboration between member states, supporting the development of new skills that contribute to a more digital and sustainable development, as well as bringing greater added value to destinations.

The aim is to achieve a growing workforce with the necessary tools to respond to the present and future challenges of tourism.

Digitalisation and innovation in tourism

Another aspect under discussion was digitalisation and innovation throughout the tourism value chain, one of the biggest challenges facing an industry in constant growth.

Responding to these challenges involves efforts to strengthen the competitiveness and economic resilience of the sector, and to consolidate the green and digital transitions.

In this context, the development of measurement systems for sustainability-related statistics and the promotion of digitalisation projects in destinations and companies in the sector were also discussed.

— Weiterlesen www.fvw.de/international/travel-news/palma-declaration-ministers-agree-social-sustainability-agenda-for-eu-tourism-238278