For Tajani easier visas would have flown for EU tourism

Vice President takes the Italian example: “Arrivals from Beijing up by 100%”

“We are world leaders. I will submit a high quality European brand that supports the existing ones”

Europe is the first world tourist destination and because of this tourism can and must be an instrument for an economic growth. However, a common strategy and necessary reforms must be put into place. This is the message sent from Antonio Tajani, Vice President of the EC in Brussels to the Parliamentary Commission for Transportation and Tourism.  “It is the sector where most youth are employed; a sector capable of generating 100,000 jobs a year affirms Tajani. Tourism can have a central role in the recovery of States in difficulty like Greece and Portugal.” Tajani highlighted that “the latest data from the World Tourism Organization affirms that in the EU there was an increase of more than 4% of incoming. On over 1 billion vacations overseas on a worldwide level, 400,000 were headed to Europe; we are the top travel power.”

But in order to maintain this record, we need to continue to grow because “the trend is positive, but we are still losing market share compared to non-European competition.” In order to reach this goal the Commission has a strategy in mind that is based on 4 principal points, which the VP revealed to the Euro MPs in a session lead in an extraordinary meeting by Carlo Fidanza (PPE), speaker on the proposal for the resolution for the ‘new political plan for European tourism.’ “Above all, we need to facilitate incoming tourism, where the main problem is the policy on visas which needs to be modified” said Tajani – who brought a concrete example that illustrates the centrality of the issue: “Before summer 2011 Italy organized a chain of temporary offices in China that granted visas in addition to those already issued by the embassy and consulate. Thanks to this operation there was a 100% increase in tourists from Beijing.” The idea obtained approval of the Parliamentary Commission. “Tajani’s commitment to give concrete actualization to the new EU authorities for tourism yields important results, declared Fidanza. The recent communiqué and the imminent proposal to modify the code for visas could allow Europe to attract millions of non-EU tourists more easily.

We need to work on the quality of service next and to do that Tajani launches a proposal: “We need a legislative act to institute a high quality European brand. A brand that doesn’t substitute the already existent ones but will integrate them to certify high quality offers.” Finally, for Tajani the EU must work on the ‘seasonal’ theme – “to increase reception in Europe in all seasons, not just the high ones” and diversify its offerings because “too often tourists always head to the same location creating further disadvantages. We must and we can promote those minor destinations that are still excellent.”

Alfonso Bianchi