Welcome to the 16th issue of Tourism Around Europe, a quarterly newsletter for competitive and sustainable tourism in Europe.

For this issue we focus on “Leadership and Governance for Sustainable Tourism” as this is the guiding topic for our Summer School organized by FEST and the European Travel Comminnion with the Patronage of the European Parliament. This year the event is hosted by Basquetour and will be held in Vitoria-Gasteiz, between June 30th and July 3rd, 2015. Don't miss the opportunity to join! We will step forward with key leaders in sustainable tourism, preparing the Declaration of Vitoria-Gasteiz and we will discover the beauty, the art and the food of the Basque County. 

I had the pleasure to interview Ms Marta Blanco, General Director, Instituto de Turismo de España (Turespaña). We asked Ms Blanco about the organizational model of the Spanish tourism board, their marketing strategies and approach to leadership. 

I wish also to mention that 2015 is the European Year for Development, and more tourism actions and initiatives for developing countries are needed. In June we organized an event together with The African Diaspora Network in Belgium (ADN) in the framework of the European Development Days 2015. The event under the title “Culture and Development: How to leverage the benefits of culture for sustainable development?” also looked at leadership issues in order to make culture part of the Post-2015 agenda. Culture is very often left out of development policies despite forming an essential part of it. This should qualify culture as a lifeline for any aspect of sustainable development. Tourism was the topic that was presented by FEST in cooperation with UNESCO. Several of our partners in Africa supported this event and we will soon publish a small report and an e-book about the progress from this event.

In the “Tourism Observatory” section, you will read about the UNWTO Tourism Highlights 2015 Edition, as well as a new report by the European Travel Commission – “European Tourism 2015 - Trends & Prospects”. In the “Projects” section, we cover the following topics: CSR, coastal and maritime tourism, ecotourism, energy efficiency for Hotels. 
You will find many interesting funding opportunities, events, reports to read, awards. 

I wish to all of you a very Happy Summer and I hope to see you in Vitoria-Gasteiz. 

Silvia Barbone
Jlag Managing Director

The next “Tourism Around Europe” newsletter will be issued in September 2015

«Tourism Around Europe» is a quarterly newsletter for competitive tourism in Europe. Our aim is to disseminate European tourism policies and practices. We wish to encourage the exchange of knowledge regarding European tourism themes, actions and challenges. Each issue includes a conversation with influential leaders and thinkers within the sector.

I had the pleasure to interview Ms Marta Blanco, General Director, Instituto de Turismo de España (Turespaña). 

She talks about the organizational model of the Spanish tourism board, the marketing strategies, the leadership approach, the link with the European policies, and she focuses on the Basque country as key destination for food and art.

SB: Can you describe the TURESPAÑA organization model and the vision which is behind your marketing strategies?

MB: Turespaña  promotes Spain abroad as a tourist destination. It is a government agency that works together with other local and regional tourist organizations as well as with private companies to attain its goals. An advisory board comprised of government and private industry representatives meets regularly and provides inputs about the marketing plans and strategies. These strategies are put in place following an intensive market research effort in all the tourist outgoing markets where Turespaña is active, complemented with surveys to fully understand our demand and our competitors’ behaviors.  Turespaña operates under a four year strategic marketing plan implemented yearly through operative plans in every market. We put a special focus on evaluating the results and the return on investment and therefore set key performance indicators to assess the rate of success we strive for.

SB: Which are the key tangible and intangible attraction of the Basque Country which act as ambassadors for Spain?

MB: The Basque Country is a unique tourist destination, that combines landscape with urban tourism and seaside, as in many other areas of Spain.  For surfers is worldwide known for the “Mundaka wave”, art lovers flock to visit the Guggenheim Museum and fine dining tourists will enjoy 30 Michelin stars in the region, not to mention the possibility of bar-hopping for tasting drinks and tapas (called “pintxos” in the Basque Country). Here you can find more information about tapas .

Read the full interview

UNWTO Tourism Highlights 2015 Edition

An ever-increasing number of destinations worldwide have opened up to, and invested in tourism, turning it into a key driver of socio-economic progress through the creation of jobs and enterprises, export revenues, and infrastructure development. Over the past six decades, tourism has experienced continued expansion and diversification, to become one of the largest and fastest-growing economic sectors in the world. Many new destinations have emerged in addition to the traditional favourites of Europe and North America. International tourist arrivals worldwide are expected to increase by 3.3% a year between 2010 and 2030 to reach 1.8 billion by 2030, according to UNWTO’s long term forecast Tourism Towards 2030.

Read the full report here

Monthly Economic Impact - World Travel and Tourism Council, Report May 2015

The World Travel and Tourism Council - Monthly Economic Impact - Report (May 2015) shows that World international tourist arrivals have grown by 4.7% for the YTD. The Travel & Tourism sector is again expected to outperform the wider economy in 2015, and register positive growth for the sixth successive year. The report section about Economy Update shows how China slowdown continues as surprise election outcome in the UK does little to alter its prospect; while Travel & Tourism Indicator Update section highlights how industry indicators show early signs of positivity for the Travel & Tourism industry in 2015.

Read the full report here

European Tourism 2015 – Trends & Prospects, ETC - European Travel Commission, Quarterly re-port, May 2015

In early 2015 European tourism has experienced a consistent stable growth driven by key events and the implementation of successful marketing activities by destinations. Early results for the first months of 2015 mark a positive start of European tourism demand along with the region’s economic recovery. The majority of European destinations reported positive growth in both international arrivals and overnights. This positive performance is backed-up by solid results from industry performance indicators. As the economic outlook slowly improves, positive effects on travel can be expected. Long-haul markets remain an important driver of growth; at the same time, the region’s growth will be supported by the weighty intra-regional markets, triggered by a weaker euro and slowly stabilizing economies supporting travel domestically and within Europe.

Read the full text here

TransCSR Project

Financed by the European Programme Leonardo Da Vinci, TransCSR aims at the transparency and acknowledgement of CSR skills in the tourism sector of at least six European countries using the tools of the ECVET system (European Credit system for Vocational Education and Training) and the EQF (European Qualification Framework). From May to August 2015,  TransCSR is looking for professionals in the tourism sector, using competences, knowledge and skills of CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) or students in tourism or CSR, in order to test the new European platform CSR Pass. This methodology will give learners the possibility to check their skills, knowledge and competences and use them for the marketing of their labour power. With the CSR-pass it is possible to evaluate: self-assessment, evaluating CSR knowledge, skills and competences; transparency, documenting CSR skills in a personal Skills Passport; acknowledgement, confirming your qualification through ECVET credits.

Find out more about the project here

The neZEH- Nearly Zero Energy Hotels Project. Two Italian pilot cases

The initiative neZEH, supported by the Intelligent Energy Europe (IEE) programme and organized with NECStouR, try to provide answers to the increasing demands of the European Commission on environment and energy, hoping to accelerate the rate of refurbishment of the existing hotels to become nearly Zero Energy Building. The buildings, The Residence L'Orologio and The Hotel Royal Terme di Valdieri were identified by the project team as a result of a multi‐phase selection process based on interviews, meetings, category of buildings, location, commitment to sustainability and (only for some) the energy pre‐audit. The structures will benefit of an energy audit and an economic feasibility study, entirely financed by the European project, that will allow identifying which energy efficiency measures are most recommended for the best performance in both energy and economic terms.

Find out more about the project here

MITOMED – Med Maritime Integrated Projects

The Project promotes an integrated management model of the MED coastal and maritime tourism by providing the knowledge of data, information, products, services and policies through an assessed system of indicators for sustainable tourism. MITOMED supports the EU Agenda for Sustainable and Competitive Tourism and Integrated Maritime Policy through an easily accessible system of data that can contribute to informed decision-making and an improved governance of the Mediterranean. The Project, with duration of 12 months from July 2014 to June 2015, counts on a partnership composed by 5 partners and 2 associated partners (Tuscany Region - Italy; CNR IBIMET - Italy; Girona University - Spain; Anetel - Cyprus; NECSTouR – Belgium). The outcomes of the consultation will be collected in the final Action Plan for Maritime and Coastal Tourism in the Mediterranean, which will be presented at the final event of the project to be held in Florence. The Action Plan will provide orientations to uphold EU's "Integrated Maritime Policy" through transnational projects to improve the governance of M&C tourism.

Read more about the project here

ENPI-CBC MED Project “Mediterranean Experience of Eco-Tourism – MEET”. A Case Study

Twenty-four protected areas in eight countries bordering the Mediterranean within the framework of the “Mediterranean Experience of Ecotourism” project have been selected as Pilot Areas where to create a Mediterranean model of participatory planning for ecotourism.  In order to foster the diversification of tourism offered and a better seasonal distribution of tourism flows, the Mediterranean Experience of Ecotourism (MEET) project aims to improve the sustainability and the rationalization in distribution of the tourism sector in the Mediterranean region. In the framework of cross-border cooperation within the European Neighborhood Policy Instrument (ENPI Med), under the strategic line “Promoting the sustainable tourism for the socio-economic development and enhancement of territories”, this strategic project involves 10 countries of the Mediterranean: Italy, France, Spain, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Malta, Cyprus, Greece and Tunisia. The project is in its 3rd (last) year, 2nd round of package tests is undergoing, by end of June 2015 an overall “customer satisfaction” will be available; at the same time a market analysis is going to be finalized.

Find out more about the project here

ERASMUS + KA1:Mobility for Young People and Youth Workers
Deadline for application: 01/10/2015

ERASMUS + KA2: Strategic Partnerships in the field of education, training and youth
Deadline for application: 01/10/2015

ERASMUS + KA2: Capacity Building in the field of Youth
Deadline for application: 02/09/2015

HORIZON 2020: Disaster-resilience: safeguarding and securing society, including adapting to cli-mate change
Deadline for application: 27/08/2015

COSME: Supporting competitive and sustainable growth in the tourism sector
Deadline for application: 30/06/2015

Topic 1: Increasing tourism flows in low/medium seasons for seniors and youth target groups - YOUTHS

Topic 2: Increasing tourism flows in low/medium seasons for seniors and youth target groups – SENIORS

Topic 3: Enhancing tourism accessibility – improving facilities and services for tourists with special access needs

Topic 4: Diversifying the EU tourism offer and products – Promoting transnational thematic tourism products

EaSI - PROGRESS – Mobility for Professionals
Deadline for application: 26/06/2015

EaSI - Industrial relations and social dialogue - Improving expertise in the field of industrial relations 2015
Deadline for application: 09/07/2015

Interreg Europe – First Call
Deadline for application: 22/07/2015

Destination of Sustainable Cultural Tourism 2015 - Theme for 2015: Industrial Heritage Tourism

European Cultural Tourism Network (ECTN) has opened a contest for nomination ‘Destination of Sustainable Cultural Tourism 2015’ Award to all tourism destinations Europe-wide for the benefit of destinations, communities, businesses, citizens and visitors.  Theme for 2015 is ‘Industrial Heritage Tourism’ concerning results of actions which have been implemented and which have produced significant results and achievements by destinations with a focus on local, regional, state or European context.The Winners will be announced at the Award ceremony and receive the Awards during the international conference “Industrial Heritage: Prospects for Sustainable Tourism Development in Europe”, to be held on  18 - 19 September 2015 in Riga, Latvia, all candidates will be invited. Submission by 30 June 2015, 24.00 CET.

Find out more here

Winner of the European Museum of the Year Award 2015: Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

The European Museum of the Year Award (EMYA), organised by the European Museum Forum (EMF), was presented at the 2015 Award Ceremony hosted by the Riverside Museum in Glasgow on 16 May. The European Museum of the Year Award 2015 goes to Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The museum received the EMYA trophy The Egg, by Henry Moore, which it will keep for one year. This world-famous museum was closed for almost a decade to allow for a complete overhaul of the building, which enabled the creation of new concourse spaces, much better visitor services and circulation. The renewed Rijksmuseum offers impressive multilingual guidance to its visitors, witty and thought-provoking interventions in the galleries, and a state-of-the-art website for virtual visitors.

Find out more here

Supporting Quality Jobs in Tourism, Stacey, J. (2015), OECD Tourism Papers, 2015/02, OECD Publishing

The tourism sector is highly dependent on quality human resources to develop and deliver a competitive tourism offering. This report examines approaches to encourage the creation of more and better tourism jobs, with a particular emphasis on enhancing the skills and career development opportunities of people employed in tourism SMEs. The contribution quality jobs can make to building a competitive and sustainable tourism sector is discussed. This is followed by analysis of the sector's labour intensity and labour market characteristics, and the implications for attracting, retaining and developing a skilled workforce. Policies and programmes introduced to respond to these challenges and boost workforce development in tourism SMEs are examined and a number of key policy considerations highlighted.

Read the full paper here

Tourism at World Heritage Sites – Challenges and Opportunities, UNWTO Publications 2015

Tourism has grown at an accelerated pace over the last few decades, with more than a billion tourists now travelling to an international destination each year. One of the main motivations of tourism is mankind’s inherent curiosity and desire to explore cultural identities across the world. Yet as cultural heritage attractions are unique and fragile by nature, it is fundamental that tourism authorities study how to best develop these cultural heritage sites while protecting and preserving them for the long-term. With more than 1,000 natural and cultural sites already inscribed on the World Heritage List, the current challenge for the different international organizations is to ensure that their values are safeguarded amidst a rapidly changing and globalized world.

Get a copy here

Manual on Accessible Tourism for All: Public-Private Partnerships and Good Practices, UNWTO Publications 2015

The Manual on Accessible Tourism for All: Public-Private Alliances and Good Practices is the first publication of a technical nature produced by the UNWTO in collaboration with the ACS Foundation. The Manual highlights the value of accessible heritage and cultural resources and provides the necessary technical knowledge for making built and natural tourism environments accessible within the framework of public-private alliances. The extensive experience of the ACS Foundation in these areas has served to stimulate the development of activities and products that make it possible to turn universal access in tourism into reality. The most significant actions are featured in this publication and represent best practices that can inspire other actors that may wish to adapt them to their respective realities.

Get a copy here

The PM4SD™qualification is the next step for anyone involved in this growing industry looking for further demonstrate their commitment to sustainable tourism.

Here are the dates for the next training courses:

• Brussels, BE: 19-23 October;
• Greece: (location and dates to be determined);
• Rome, IT: 28 September - 2 October.

Visit www.jlageurope.com to learn more about the course and register.

The third edition of the Summer School will take place in the beautiful Vitoria-Gasteiz, the 2012 European Green Capital. The event, taking place between June 30th and July 3rd, is organized by FEST and the European Travel Commission and hosted by Basquetour in partnership with the Vitoria–Gasteiz Council and the University of Deusto.
The Summer School, which begun had its first edition in 2013, is an annual European event that takes place in a different European country every year. Once again, our event brings together key representatives of the tourism sector: donors, policy makers, industry representatives, project management practitioners, academics and entrepreneurs to share practices on how to plan and manage tourism funding with sustainability, and also to improve project management and effectiveness in the tourism sector. The Summer School is the PM4SD™ annual event, promoting it as the methodology to apply in tourism projects and to discuss the professionalization of project management in sustainable tourism.

Download the programme.

Find out more about the 2015 Summer School.

We’ll be live tweeting the Summer School at @pm4d

Sustainable and Competitive Hotels through Energy Innovation, neZEH 2015 International Conference, 24 June 2015, Nice, France.

From Tourism Policy into Practice: Issues and challenges in engaging policy makers and end users, 5th International Conference ICOT2015, 24-27 June 2015, Middlesex University, UK.

Exploring Opportunities for Tourism Climate Change Adaptation, NECSTouR' Workshop, 25 June 2015, Nice, France.

WSTDays - Web Sustainable Tourism Days, organized by European City of the Heritage and the Sustainable Tourism, 25-26 June 2015, Gréoux Les Bains, France.

Summer School in Leadership and Governance for Sustainable Tourism, organized by FEST and ETC, 30 June-3 July 2015, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain.

Sustainable Rural System: Smart Answers for a Smiling Future, 23rd Annual Colloquium, Commission on the Sustainability of Rural System - Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 27 July - 2 August, Lisbon, Portugal.

Contemporary Perspectives in Tourism and Hospitality Research: Policy, Practice and Performance, The Tourism Policy, Practice and Performance International Conference, 12-14 July 2015, University of Brighton, UK.

Tangible and Intangible Heritage between Cultural, Leisure, & Gastronomic Tourism, Summer School Uni-versità degli Studi di Milano Bicocca, 24 August - 6 September 2015, Milan, Italy.

Sustainability Transitions and Wider Transformative Change Historical Roots and Future Pathways, 6th International Sustainability Transitions (IST) Conference organized by University of Sussex and Sustainability Transitions Research Network, 25- 28 August 2015, Brighton, UK.

First European Week of Sport, Event organized by EFCS – European Federation for Company Sport, 7-13 September 2015.

European Tourism Forum 2015, Event organized by the European Commission, 17-18 September 2015, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg.

European Cooperation Day, supported by the European Commission and the European Parliament, 21 September 2015.

TTRA Travel & Tourism Research Association - Canada Conference 2015, 23-25 September 2015, Fallsview Marriott Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada.

Culinary and Wine Tourism Conference 2015, organized by The Institute for Tourism Management of the FHWien University of Applied Sciences of WKW, 21-23 October 2015, Vienna, Austria.

The EU’s Tourism Education & Training Offer – a mapping exercise and performance check, Conference organized by NECSTouR - the Network of European Region for a Sustainable and Competitive Tourism, 21 October2015, Brussels, Belgium.

Conference on e-skills in tourism, organized by the European Commission, 21 October 2015, Brussels, Bel-gium.

The Global European Marketplace 2015, Event organized by ETOA – European Tourism Association, 30-31 October 2015, London, UK.

World Travel Market, Exhibition, 2-5 November 2015, London, UK.

European Tourism Indicators System Conference and Accessible Tourism Workshop, 16-17 November 2015, Brussels, Belgium.