Sustainable EU Tourism – Shaping the Tourism of Tomorrow

The survey on EU tourism destinations closed on 31 May 2024, collecting 222 replies from Destination Management Organisations (DMO) across all 27 EU Member States, as well as an eligible country (Montenegro). The countries with the highest share of replies were Croatia, Austria, Italy and Czechia. Most respondents represented rural or natural destinations with less than 800 000 inhabitants. A summary of the main results, as well as a detailed analysis, can be found below

• summary of survey results
• final report

The survey shows that DMOs consider themselves as having key roles in marketing and branding the destination, tourism management and planning, representing the destination’s interests, and developing and delivering tourism initiatives and products. However, they do not give high priority to activities such as visitor flow management and adopting risk and crisis management plans. 

This leaves room for improvement, as these areas are highly necessary to counter unbalanced tourism and facilitate the sector's recovery. To address this challenge, the European Commission funded the Crisis Management and Governance in Tourism project, aimed at strengthening the EU tourism ecosystem’s preparedness for managing and mitigating future crises.

The survey also assessed the positive impacts of tourism. These include

• an improved local economy
• increased employment opportunities
• enhanced offers of entertainment and cultural events

The most important factors identified for positively influencing a destination’s resilience were preserving natural features and cultural sites, as well as enhancing environmental and socio-cultural sustainability. 

Similarly, investing in effective destination management practices and promoting off-season tourism can diversify the local tourism offer. This allows DMOs to benefit from more diversified income sources. Lastly, renovating tourism infrastructure can lead to high-quality levels of utilities and facilities, improving the destination’s array of tourism services.

Conversely, the most common negative impacts experienced by DMOs were

• the increased costs of housing and living. These are often connected to the gentrification of urban areas and increased costs of services and utilities
• environmental degradation and congestion, which endangers a destination's natural features
• economic distress during the low season. This provokes fluctuations in destinations’ demand and supply of tourism services
• precarious and irregular work, mostly linked to tourism seasonality

Further details collected on the negative impacts of tourism were also linked to the type of DMO. Mountain DMOs are the most exposed to inflation and tourism pressure. Whereas coastal destinations are heavily affected by tourism seasonality, while urban destinations experience high levels of ‘touristification’ of their services. Lastly, large DMOs (level NUTS 1) suffer most from the increased costs of housing.

Relevant insights were also collected concerning the measures implemented at DMO level. 66% of respondents are already working on improving their tourism sustainability and resilience, mainly addressing 

• environmental issues (128 initiatives)
• sociocultural aspects (118 initiatives)
• economic aspects (95 initiatives) 

Most measures are financed through national or EU-funding programmes, primarily the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Additional funding sources include the Programme for the Environment and Climate Action (LIFE), the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), as well as Research & Innovation programmes (Horizon).

The key success factors for implementing these measures proposed entail establishing effective stakeholder engagement and collaboration mechanisms. Developing sustainable tourism planning and strategies is equally critical.

Identifying key challenges and best practices in sustainable and resilient tourism is essential for European destinations to acquire a greater understanding of the issues they may face, as well as opotential opportunities. A summary of these challenges and opportunities can be found below

• Full report on key challenges and best practices
• Main findings
• Summary presentation
• Compilation of 50 best practice factsheets

Based on an extensive literature review and diagnostic model, 31 key challenges were identified across 4 key dimensions

• economic challenges (10), such as managing tourism growth to prevent “overtourism”, gentrification, and economic downturns in off-seasons
• environmental challenges (6) - addressing climate change impacts, high resource consumption, pollution, habitat loss and ecosystem disruptions
• socio-cultural challenges (6), namely attracting skilled workers, preserving cultural identity, avoiding infrastructure strain and preventing the displacement of residents
• governance challenges (9) - ensuring effective resource management and implementing cohesive governance strategies for sustainable tourism

To investigate how the key challenges are being addressed in European destinations, 50 best practice caseswere selected from an initial inventory of 272 case studies. 

The selection process applied a set of criteria, such as the presence of successful solutions, replicability, data availability, level of innovation and balanced representation across 6 destination types (urban, rural, coastal, mountainous, island and mixed), along with geographic representation.

This research shows that digital solutions and promotional campaigns are mostly used for tackling economic challenges, while environmental challenges are usually addressed through research and innovation actions, as well as significant investments in infrastructures and product development. 

Governance and social challenges are addressed through capacity building activities, certification schemes, as well as by implementing digital tools and investing in digital infrastructures and innovative products.

Notable examples of sustainable tourism best practices include

• the case of Bordeaux, with its investments in accessible infrastructures and products
• Florence’s “Smart City Control Room”, which aggregates tourism data from various sources and monitors tourist flows within the city
• the efforts made by the Lower Saxony region to address environmental matters, while ensuring high-level stakeholder engagement and commitment
• the "Happy working family" employee community in Wilder Kaiser, for its social networking and inclusion in tourism activities

Such measures were often financed by EU funding programmes, combined with national, regional, and municipal resources.

Success factors for implementing sustainable tourism practices include

• stakeholder engagement and communication
• funding opportunities and financial support
• support from stakeholders and staff
• a clear vision and strategy
• knowledge, an open mindset and engagement
• persistence and continuity
• political will and commitment

Conversely, the main barriers to implementation are

• insufficient stakeholder cooperation
• lack of resources
• lack of political support
• skepticism and resistance

Insights on these topics are available on the project's LinkedIn profile, including an overview of selected best practices.