The delegation met with Elisa Ferreira, the new European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reform, and discussed the importance of tourism as a driver of the European Union’s economy, with particular emphasis on the sector’s potential to contribute to job creation and ambitious climate goals. the new European Green Deal agreement. At the same time, as the UNWTO marked the Year of Tourism and Rural Development, the role that this sector can play in rebuilding and promoting sustainable development in rural areas across Europe was highlighted. Tourism is not an end in itself if we live only on rent and we encourage imports, on the contrary, tourism must be the impetus for the development of other industries. And that is exactly why tourism should definitely have a special focus and place in the EU. Better positioning of tourism in European institutions was the topic of discussions in the EU Parliament and the European Commission in Brussels, which were also attended by the State Secretary at the Ministry of Tourism Frano Matušić together with a delegation led by the Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Zurab Pololikashvili. The greatest power of tourism is precisely that it connects various industries vertically and horizontally, and it is imperative to create added value for other industries through tourism. From the banal production of eggs, salads, tomatoes that must come from the rural local area, ie the economy to the sale of wine, olive oil and production – wood industry, product design, IT services, creativity and cultural industry (KIK), continue a series of (
The delegation also included Albanian Minister of Tourism and Environment Blendi Klosi and Portuguese and Spanish Secretaries of State for Tourism Rita Marques and Isabel María Oliver Sagreras. As a reminder, Europe is the most visited tourist region in the world, and France, Spain and Italy are the world’s leading tourist destinations, while Germany is the world’s leading emitting market.
read more
Read More