MEPs want a safer and more sustainable tourism after Covid

European Parliament: tourism will need help to become cleaner, safer and more sustainable after the pandemic, according to MEPs. They will vote on a report on this on 25 March. Travel restrictions related to the coronavirus pandemic have decimated the tourism industry, a major player in the EU's economy.

March 20, 2021 Claudiu Victor Gheorghiu Analysis, Editor's Choice, EU Analisys, EU countries, EU Media, EU News 1

Post Views: 342
EP is calling for a plan to make tourism more sustainable. © European Parliament Images/European Union-EP

 

Tourism will need help to become cleaner, safer and more sustainable after the pandemic, according to MEPs. They will vote on a report on this on 25 March.

Tourism and Covid-19

 

Tourism is one of the sectors affected the most by the Covid-19 pandemic. It employs about 27 million people and represents around 10% of the EU’s gross domestic products. Six million jobs are currently at risk. Europe, the world’s top tourist destination, welcomed 66% fewer international tourists in the first half of 2020 and 97% fewer in the second half.

Read more: Covid-19: EU support for the tourism industry

 

Need for a new tourism strategy in Europe

MEPs are set to call for a new European strategy to make tourism cleaner, safer and more sustainable as well as get it back on its feet, after the pandemic, including a common vaccination certificate.

“With summer just around the corner, we want to avoid past errors and put in place coordinated and uniform EU measures, such as a protocol of tests before departure, a certificate of vaccination, a sanitary seal, to facilitate travel, with no costs for citizens.“ said report author Cláudia Monteiro de Aguiar (EPP, Portugal) .

 

Financial assistance

Continued short-term financial support is essential to the survival of the sector, the report says, urging EU countries to include travel and tourism in their Covid recovery plans. It also calls for public and private investment in the digitalisation and overall modernisation of the sector and says countries should consider temporarily reducing VAT rates on travel and tourism services,

 

Common vaccination certificate

In order to re-establish freedom of movement, the report calls a common vaccination certificate, which could become an alternative to PCR tests and quarantine requirements once vaccines are available for everyone and there is sufficient scientific evidence that vaccinated people do not transmit the virus. Quarantine should remain the instrument of last resort, according to the report.

 

On 17 March the European Commission proposed a digital green certificate in line with the suggestion in the report.

 

Making tourism more sustainable

The report says the pandemic has shifted consumer preferences to greener options that bring them closer to nature. It calls for a roadmap to develop more sustainable forms of tourism to reduce the environmental footprint of the sector.

Other proposals in the report include:

 

  • An EU hygiene certification seal, certifying minimum Covid-19 virus prevention and control standards to help restore consumer trust in tourism and travel
  • A new EU gency for tourism.

Read more: Coronavirus: facts about your passenger rights

Press Release, European Parliament, Press room , March 19, 2021. Source: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/headlines/society/20210311STO99736/meps-want-a-safer-and-more-sustainable-tourism-after-covid

 

Tourism is one of the sectors most affected by the Covid-19 outbreak. © European Parliament Images/European Union-EP

 

Covid-19: EU support for the tourism industry 

Tourism is one of the sectors most affected by the Covid-19 outbreak. Read more on how the EU is protecting businesses, workers and passengers.

Travel restrictions related to the coronavirus pandemic have decimated the tourism industry, a major player in the EU’s economy. Revenue is expected to drop 50% for hotels and restaurants, 70% for tour operators and travel agencies and 90% for cruises and airlines. Europe accounts for half of the world’s tourist arrivals and the situation is particularly hard for European countries that are dependent on tourism, such as Spain, Italy, France and Greece.

On 19 June, Parliament voted on a resolution on transport and tourism in 2020 requesting further action to support small and medium-sized enterprises hit by the crisis and funding to help the sector. MEPs said that the crisis should be considered as an opportunity to modernise tourism in the EU by making it environmentally friendly and socially responsible.

Source EP: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/headlines/society/20200429STO78175/covid-19-eu-support-for-the-tourism-industry

 

Republished by Intell News Romania in English, March 20, 2021

 

Similar article in Romanian: Parlamentul European: Eurodeputații doresc un turism post-Covid mai sigur și mai sustenabil, Intell News, March 20, 2021. https://www.intellnews.ro/parlamentul-european-eurodeputatii-doresc-un-turism-post-covid-mai-sigur-si-mai-sustenabil/

About Claudiu Victor Gheorghiu 123 Articles
My name is GHEORGHIU CLAUDIU VICTOR and I was born in October 1967 in Bucharest. In 1998 I took the master degree at University from Bucharest , the Faculty of History- universal old history section- with theme (Constantine the Great and Christianity) at professor LIGIA BARZU. In 1991 I graduated Art School , Painting section, with TITU DRAGUTESCU. I painted sacred pictures from 1990, in technique tempera or tempera with egg on wood. In the period 2004-2016, I had the honor to have the encouragements, the advices, the friendship of the Master PAUL GHERASIM(1925-2016), my mentor, the founder of the "Prolog" group. During the period 1992-1994 I was artistic advisor at Coleus contemporary art gallery . I am titular member of the Association Branch of Religious Plastic Arts and Restoration - AFAPRR of UAP from Romania: Visual Artists’ Union from Romania from April 17, 2019, admitted by contest, as well as I was trainee member during the period 2016-2019, admitted by contest. I was member in Plastic Background(FP) belong Visual Artists’ Union from Romania(UAP) from 7th of December 2000, admitted by contest. From 25th of May 2015 I was elected Media advisor of the Steering Committee of the Association Branch of Religious Plastic Arts and Restoration : AFAPRR of UAP from Romania: Visual Artists’ Union from Romania. From 2014 I am member Visarta( from March 31, 2017, I was elected in the Steering Committee of Visarta, during the period 2017-2022), the Romanian Visual Arts Copyright Collecting Society. I had 4 Personal Exhibitions with sacred art, organized by UAP from Romania- Visual Artists’ Union from Romania, in Bucharest (2001, 2003, 2004 at ArTei Gallery, 2007 at Galateea Gallery), also another two at Silva Gallery in Busteni(2007-2008), Sabion Gallery in Bucharest(2019, together with Cristina Georgescu). I had also 2 Personal Exhibitions in Italy : I was Honor Guest, representing Romania, with sacred art, June 2003 at Pisa and in October 2006 ”The icons, sacred pictures in contemporary world” at Viadana(Mantua). I won some prizes in Italy and I participated, admitted by contest, at some art fairs and international exhibitions around the world, representing Romania: most of them in Italy(Pompeii, Pisa, Turin, Milan, Reggio Emilia, Bari, Viadana, Mantua), but also in France, Germany, Greece, Japan, Peru, South Korea, Switzerland; in secondary also I am cultural journalist: from May 2015 to January 2016 I was Contributing Editor at Culture (Fine Arts, Exhibitions, History, Religion) at the newspaper Jurnalul Bucureştiului. From 17th of January 2016 I was advanced Senior Editor at the same newspaper, which has been called since April 2020 the Jurnalul Bucureştiului ,,Le Petit Parisien”, with a different leadership and a different format. From 1st of November 2015 to 31st of December 2016 I was Contributing Editor and Thematic Advisor at News Agency Lacasuri Ortodoxe and Press service LO News. From 1st of January 2016 I am Senior Editor of the Intell News(Global news, press and event analysis) and coordinator of the Culture pages (in Romanian and English, named Intell News Romania). From May 3, 2019, I am also publisher commentator at the newspaper Ultima Oră.
Website

Related Articles

1 Trackback / Pingback

  1. Parlamentul European: Eurodeputații doresc un turism post-Covid mai sigur și mai sustenabil - Intell News Romania

Comments are closed.