The UN World Tourism Organization has joined the European Commissioner for Transport Adina Vălean to highlight the importance of jobs, education and investment in tourism as it rebounds from the pandemic.
Their common message said: “Now is the time to direct tourism on a path that leads to a more sustainable and resilient future. Putting people and education first.”
The joint statement by UNWTO secretary-general Zurab Pololikashvili and Commissioner Vălean came as the European Council presented the conclusions of the European Tourism Agenda, looking at tourism over the coming decade.
The pair welcomed the restart of international travel across Europe but stressed that tourism and transport need to “work together” to address the gap in tourism employment by making both sectors more attractive for workers.
Their statement also stressed the importance of investments in tourism to accelerated the shift to greater resilience and sustainability.
The European Tourism Agenda has helped the European Commission develop a new Transition Pathway for Tourism, in consultation with key stakeholders such as the UNWTO. It identifies intervention areas to boost tourism in Europe, most notably the importance of building and supporting a skilled and committed workforce.
The statement continued: “When the pandemic hit and travel came to a halt, many workers left the sector. And not all of them have returned.
“In recent months we have seen the consequences of this. The number of people employed in the air transport sector within the European Union dropped to the lowest level in almost 15 years. As a result, we saw sizeable bottlenecks at airports along with cancelled flights and other services during the peak summer season.
“We need to work together – UNWTO, the European Commission, governments and employers – to make tourism an attractive sector to work in.”