Tourism Dossier
Summary
1. Sustainable and Competitive Tourism: a European Priority
Tourism is one of the most important economic sectors in the European Union, contributing around 10% of EU GDP and supporting over 26 million jobs in 2025, equivalent to 12% of total employment. Around 2.3 million tourism enterprises operate in Europe, mostly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), employing more than 12 million people. Alongside its economic relevance, tourism has a strong social and cultural impact, acting as a driver of territorial cohesion and inclusion. At the same time, the sector is highly exposed to global challenges, including the green and digital transitions, seasonality, talent attraction, and environmental and social sustainability.
In 2024, 2.99 billion overnight stays were recorded in tourist accommodation establishments across the EU, representing a 2% increase compared to the previous year. Almost half of these nights (48%) were generated by international tourists, confirming Europe’s strong global attractiveness. Tourist flows are concentrated in a number of leading countries, notably France (around 100 million international visitors), Spain (around 85 million) and Italy (around 57 million), which together rank among the world’s top destinations.
The EU continues to attract around one quarter of global international tourism receipts (25.9% in 2023), reaffirming Europe’s position as a preferred destination worldwide. Outlook remains positive: according to the World Travel & Tourism Council, by 2035 the sector could generate 4.5 million additional jobs, bringing total employment above 30 million.
Seasonality and the high incidence of part-time work — accounting for 21% of tourism employment compared to a lower average across the rest of the economy — make employment stability more fragile. In addition, the sector employs a significant share of women (57% of the workforce in 2023), often concentrated in lower-skilled positions.
These challenges are compounded by the green and digital transitions. Environmental sustainability, efficient resource management and emissions reduction are core priorities of the European Green Deal, while digitalisation is profoundly transforming booking systems, destination promotion and tourism management.
The EU supports the transformation of the tourism sector through programmes, platforms and alliances aimed at strengthening resilience, improving sustainability and enhancing competitiveness, particularly for SMEs and micro-enterprises.
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2. EU Competences in the Field of Tourism
Tourism is recognised by the EU Treaties as a supporting competence of the European Union. Article 6 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) provides that the EU may act to support, coordinate or complement the actions of the Member States in certain areas, including tourism. Article 195 TFEU further establishes that the EU shall promote the competitiveness of tourism undertakings, encourage cooperation between Member States and foster a favourable environment for SMEs in the sector, in full respect of the principle of subsidiarity.
Under Article 195 TFEU, tourism remains a supporting competence, meaning that the EU cannot harmonise national tourism legislation. Regulation of the sector, destination planning, territorial promotion and tourism flow management remain primarily the responsibility of Member States and, in many cases, of regional and local authorities. The European Commission therefore acts in a complementary manner, supporting and coordinating national action through common strategies, best practices, EU programmes and funding instruments.
Commission priorities in tourism are embedded in the broader EU strategies for sustainable growth, economic resilience and competitiveness. Key priorities include the green transition of tourism, the digital transition, sectoral resilience and competitiveness, skills development and labour attractiveness, European and transnational cooperation, and more inclusive and accessible tourism delivering benefits for local communities.
Although there is no EU programme dedicated exclusively to tourism, the sector benefits significantly from several EU funding instruments, including Erasmus+ for education and skills, Horizon Europe for research and innovation, the Single Market Programme for SME support, and Cohesion Policy funds — notably the ERDF and ESF+ — for territorial development and employment.
Within the European Commission, DG MOVE acts as the lead service for tourism, coordinating EU-level initiatives in close cooperation with other Directorates-General and Member States.
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3. Key European Initiatives for Tourism
3.1 EU Transition Pathway for Tourism
The EU Transition Pathway for Tourism was launched by the European Commission in 2022. It is a strategic roadmap developed through a co-creation process involving Member States, businesses, local authorities, trade associations, chambers of commerce and stakeholders across the tourism ecosystem. This collaborative approach made it possible to identify shared and concrete priorities, with the objective of guiding the sector towards a more sustainable, digital and resilient model.
The Tourism Transition Pathway is embedded in the framework of the European Green Deal and the Single Market Strategy, providing a common vision and practical tools to address the challenges of the tourism sector’s twin transition.
The policy document sets out a range of concrete outputs — actions, tools and policy measures — aimed at making tourism more sustainable, resilient and competitive. These outputs include the development of indicators to measure sustainability, the digitalisation of tourism SMEs, the promotion of green and digital skills, smart data management and the strengthening of public–private cooperation. These actions are structured around more than 70 specific objectives, grouped under key areas such as environmental sustainability, digital innovation, economic resilience, skills and governance.
Pledges are voluntary commitments undertaken by sector stakeholders — including public authorities, businesses, sectoral organisations, chambers of commerce and other relevant actors — to contribute tangibly to the implementation of the Pathway. The European Commission plays a coordinating, monitoring and facilitating role, ensuring coherence with EU policies and supporting implementation through EU funding instruments and cooperation platforms. Member States are expected to integrate the Pathway’s priorities into their national tourism strategies and to mobilise available domestic resources (such as the Recovery and Resilience Plans and the ERDF). Stakeholders, in turn, are responsible for delivering on the commitments set out in their pledges and for sharing best practices, thereby becoming active contributors to the transition through investment, training and innovation.
Unioncamere, together with Dintec, Isnart and the Mirabilia project, actively supports the Tourism Transition Pathway, contributing to the dissemination of innovation, sustainability and digitalisation models for the benefit of Italian tourism enterprises.
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3.2 Pact for Skills – Tourism
The Pact for Skills is an initiative launched by the European Commission in 2020 as part of the European Skills Agenda, with the aim of promoting partnerships between businesses, public authorities, education and training providers, and social partners in order to strengthen the upskilling and reskilling of the European workforce. Through Large-Scale Partnerships, the Pact also engages the tourism sector, where it seeks to develop digital, green and transversal skills to support SME resilience, improve service quality and foster a more sustainable and inclusive growth model.
The Pact for Skills is based on a shared commitment to invest in the skills required for the green and digital twin transition, thereby enhancing employability and business competitiveness. In the tourism context, the Pact for Skills aims to address emerging challenges — including digitalisation, sustainability and changing traveller preferences — by strengthening the skills of the sector’s workforce. In particular, the Skills Partnership for the Tourism Ecosystem sets an ambitious objective: to train or upskill at least 10% of the European tourism workforce each year between 2023 and 2030, thereby addressing gaps in digital, green and transversal skills.
Planned actions include the anticipation of skills needs (skills intelligence), the co-design of curricula, the adoption of blended learning approaches, and the strengthening of vocational education and training (VET) systems to ensure that they integrate the new professional profiles required by the sector.
The Large-Scale Skills Partnership (LSP) for tourism is the organisational framework that translates these ambitions into concrete transnational actions. The LSP brings together tourism stakeholders with the objective of coordinating common strategies, exchanging best practices and jointly developing training programmes. Through the LSP, National or Regional Skills Partnerships (NRSPs) are promoted across Member States, translating European objectives at territorial level and adapting them to local specificities. The PacTS4ALL (Pact for Tourism Skills Forward Alliance) project supports the tourism LSP by fostering coordination among signatories, enhancing visibility and facilitating the implementation of the 12 defined priorities.
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3.3 European Sustainable Tourism Platform
The European Sustainable Tourism Platform serves as a European-level meeting point to promote sustainable tourism practices and to facilitate the exchange of best practices among destinations and tourism stakeholders. The platform functions as a collaborative digital hub for all actors within the European tourism ecosystem. Through the platform, users can access resources, case studies, data and partnership opportunities, as well as follow the progress of the sector’s transition pathway.
The European Sustainable Tourism Platform is linked to the Tourism Transition Pathway initiative. It also supports destination management organisations (DMOs) in establishing peer-to-peer twinning arrangements with counterparts facing similar challenges, thereby facilitating mutual learning and the dissemination of more sustainable tourism models.
Beyond acting as an interactive repository of actions and resources, the platform facilitates dialogue among EU institutions, Member States and stakeholders, enabling the sharing of progress, the monitoring of commitments undertaken under the Tourism Transition Pathway, and the identification of synergies between national and local initiatives. The platform also allows users to navigate a range of support tools (such as guides, guidelines and communication toolkits), to interact with stakeholders and to publish voluntary commitments. Through the platform, the European Commission promotes a model of continuous and transparent participation, enabling interested organisations to contribute to the ongoing development of European policies for a greener, more digital and more resilient tourism sector.
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3.4 EU Ecolabel for Tourism: Evolving Environmental Standards
The EU Ecolabel for Tourism constitutes the official environmental certification scheme of the European Union for sustainable tourist accommodation, including hotels, campsites, bed and breakfasts and hostels. The label rewards enterprises that apply high environmental sustainability standards, such as energy efficiency, water savings, waste reduction, the use of environmentally friendly products and the promotion of responsible behaviour among guests.
Beyond strengthening the green credibility of accommodation providers, the EU Ecolabel represents a concrete tool to enhance competitiveness in sustainable tourism by responding to the growing demand from environmentally conscious travellers.
The European Commission is currently working on the revision of the EU Ecolabel criteria and indicators for tourism, with the aim of aligning them with updated European priorities in the areas of the green transition, the circular economy and the decarbonisation of the tourism sector.
The revision process, which was launched in April 2025 and is being carried out by the Commission with the support of the Joint Research Centre, is expected to be completed by the end of 2027. This timeline reflects the fact that the current regulation establishing the EU Ecolabel criteria for tourist accommodation remains in force until 31 December 2027. The revision involves the active participation of a wide range of stakeholders, ensuring that the updated criteria are both ambitious and implementable across the sector.
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3.5 EU Tourism Dashboard
The EU Tourism Dashboard is an interactive platform designed to support the European tourism sector. It enables stakeholders to access information, tools and resources useful for monitoring EU tourism initiatives and policies. The Dashboard facilitates the sharing of best practices and cooperation among different actors.
The EU Tourism Dashboard supports the understanding and management of the tourism sector across Europe. The tool provides a clear overview of the key indicators describing tourism activity at both Member State and regional level, allowing destinations to be compared and strengths and weaknesses to be identified. Through visual representations, the Dashboard facilitates policy analysis and the design of initiatives aimed at making tourism more sustainable.
Information is structured around three main pillars: environmental sustainability, digitalisation and socio-economic resilience. A fourth set of descriptive indicators provides additional insights into the tourism context, including supply, demand and the characteristics of accommodation establishments. Destinations that consistently perform well across these pillars tend to display a more balanced tourism ecosystem and a greater capacity to address future challenges.
The Dashboard is primarily intended for public decision-makers at national and regional level, tourism operators and researchers, but it also represents a valuable resource for anyone wishing to gain deeper insights into the dynamics of European tourism.
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4. Cross-cutting Policies: EU Programmes Impacting Tourism
4.1 Introduction
European Union policies in the areas of environment, digitalisation, cohesion, culture and mobility have a direct impact on the evolution of European tourism. These cross-cutting strategies help steer the sector towards a more sustainable, inclusive and innovative development model, in line with the objectives of the European Green Deal and the European Digital Agenda.
The implementation of the European Green Deal and the Fit for 55 package has a profound impact on tourism, by promoting the decarbonisation of transport, the energy renovation of tourism facilities and the uptake of circular economy models. Tourism enterprises are increasingly required to measure and reduce their environmental footprint, while EU programmes — ranging from LIFE to the Just Transition Fund — provide financial instruments to support investments in sustainability and the responsible management of natural resources. In addition, the new ESG requirements and the EU Green Taxonomy strengthen transparency and improve access to finance for the most environmentally responsible businesses.
In parallel, the digital transformation of tourism is driven by the European Data Strategy and the development of the European Data Space for Tourism, which will enable the integrated and secure management of data on tourist flows, impacts and traveller preferences. EU digital policies — such as the Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Act — contribute to a fairer online platform economy and provide enhanced protection for consumers and SMEs. Digitalisation also acts as a key enabler of sustainability, supporting data-driven governance models and a smarter, more personalised tourism offer.
4.2 Cohesion Policy and Territorial Development
Through Cohesion Policy, the European Union supports the development of sustainable and inclusive tourism destinations, strengthening the competitiveness of regions and rural areas. Tourism is recognised as a key driver of territorial growth, employment and the valorisation of local heritage.
Structural Funds — in particular the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) — finance projects in areas such as urban regeneration, cultural and nature-based tourism, green infrastructure and skills development pathways. Smart Specialisation Strategies (S3) encourage synergies between tourism, culture, innovation and craftsmanship, fostering more diversified territorial economies.
In addition, macro-regional strategies — such as EUSAIR and EUSALP — strengthen cross-border cooperation and support the development of shared tourism itineraries across the Mediterranean and the Alpine regions. The 2021–2027 Cohesion Policy framework also promotes tourism as a tool for post-pandemic economic resilience. Supported interventions aim to make destinations more accessible, digital and environmentally sustainable, while integrating the social dimension of tourism through the active involvement of local communities.
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4.3 Culture and European Heritage
Cultural tourism is one of Europe’s main drivers of attractiveness and represents a cornerstone of EU cultural policy. The European Agenda for Culture recognises the role of tourism in promoting diversity, cohesion and the valorisation of both tangible and intangible cultural heritage.
Through programmes such as Creative Europe and the European Heritage Label, the European Union supports projects that combine creative innovation, tourism and European identity. The objective is to foster the cultural regeneration of destinations and citizen participation, while encouraging the development of authentic, high value-added tourism experiences.
In addition, the New European Bauhaus initiative and the CERV (Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values) programme contribute to rethinking tourism spaces as places of encounter and sustainability, enhancing design quality, social inclusion and collective memory. In this way, culture acts as a driver of innovation and competitiveness across the European tourism ecosystem.
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4.4 Single Market Programme – Tourism
The Single Market Programme (SMP) constitutes the European Union’s primary instrument for supporting business competitiveness and ensuring the proper functioning of the Single Market, with a particular focus on SMEs and strategic sectors, including tourism.
The Single Market Programme (SMP – 2021–2027) is one of the EU’s main funding programmes aimed at strengthening the Single Market, supporting business competitiveness and ensuring a more resilient and inclusive European economy. With a total budget of EUR 4.2 billion, the Programme integrates and streamlines several previous instruments (such as COSME and parts of Horizon 2020), placing particular emphasis on SMEs and strategic sectors affected by economic and environmental transformations.
In the tourism sector, the SMP acts as a key lever for the green, digital and socio-economic transition. Funded actions seek to enhance the sustainability and innovation capacity of tourism enterprises by promoting the uptake of digital technologies, energy efficiency, circular economy models and the valorisation of lesser-known destinations. A central role of the SMP in tourism is to foster policy integration at EU level and to promote an ecosystem-based approach that links skills development, digitalisation, sustainability and competitiveness. In this way, the Programme contributes not only to the post-pandemic recovery of European tourism, but also to the development of a smarter, more responsible and Green Deal–consistent tourism model.
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4.5 Horizon Europe and Tourism
Tourism is supported through several European funding instruments, including Horizon Europe, which represents the EU’s main programme for research and innovation. Although it is not a programme specifically dedicated to the tourism sector, Horizon Europe finances a wide range of projects that contribute to the sustainable, digital and resilient transformation of European tourism. These projects promote innovative solutions for destination management, the energy efficiency of infrastructure, sustainable mobility and the valorisation of cultural heritage.
Horizon Europe supports European partnerships and pilot projects in areas such as smart tourism, the green transition of destinations and tourism data management, thereby strengthening cooperation between universities, public authorities, businesses and territorial organisations. While Horizon Europe does not include a Mission specifically dedicated to tourism, it nevertheless plays a decisive role in reinforcing the knowledge base, innovation capacity and experimentation needed to support European tourism.
Tourism is strongly embedded in a cross-cutting manner across several thematic clusters of Horizon Europe, in particular Cluster 2 “Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society” and Cluster 5 “Climate, Energy and Mobility”. Within these clusters, projects are funded that promote:
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cultural and creative tourism;
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the sustainable regeneration of destinations;
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low-emission tourism mobility;
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the use of digital technologies and data to improve tourism management; and
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the resilience of local communities connected to the tourism sector.
Increasing attention is being devoted to regenerative tourism, the enhancement of natural and cultural heritage through immersive technologies (such as augmented reality and artificial intelligence), and the measurement of tourism impacts through the use of data and open innovation approaches.
In addition, tourism is frequently addressed within European Partnerships and Living Labs supported by Horizon Europe — territorial testbeds in which businesses, public authorities, universities and citizens co-design sustainable tourism solutions aimed at piloting innovative and replicable approaches across European territories. As a result, even in the absence of a dedicated Mission, tourism is recognised as a key application area for European research and innovation policies under Horizon Europe.
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3.5. Digital Omnibus: simplification for SMEs
The Digital Omnibus is the new package introduced by the European Commission to simplify and make the EU’s digital regulatory framework more coherent, by streamlining existing rules on data, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and privacy. Its aim is to reduce administrative burdens, enhance regulatory clarity and support business competitiveness, in particular for SMEs, while fostering a more integrated and innovative European digital market.
The Digital Omnibus is a legislative initiative presented by the European Commission in November 2025 with the aim of making the EU’s digital regulatory framework simpler, more coherent and more effective. Rather than introducing new rules, it takes a targeted approach to existing legislation to reduce fragmentation and overlaps across areas such as data protection, privacy, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and data sharing. The proposal is based on a coordinated review of key instruments, including the GDPR, the ePrivacy Directive, the Data Act and NIS2, and seeks to streamline compliance requirements. In particular, it aims to improve coordination between existing notification and reporting obligations, exploring more integrated approaches that could move towards a single or simplified point of contact for companies when interacting with authorities across different digital regulatory frameworks, thereby reducing duplication and administrative burden.
A core part of the package focuses on the implementation of the AI Act, with measures designed to support businesses and other stakeholders in a more gradual and proportionate transition towards compliance. The proposed adjustments aim to clarify applicable obligations, reduce administrative complexity and promote the responsible use of artificial intelligence and data, including by providing greater legal certainty on the interaction between AI systems and personal data protection rules. Overall, the Digital Omnibus seeks to create a more enabling environment for digital innovation, lowering compliance costs and strengthening the competitiveness of SMEs in both the European and global markets.
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