Tourism is returning to pre-Covid-19 pandemic levels in Europe, and players in the sector are trying to find solutions to offer more sustainable tourism.
Tourism is returning to pre-Covid-19 pandemic levels in Europe. The busiest continent on the planet is expecting more than 750 million visitors this year, but more tourists means more pressure on the environment and more tensions between tourists and local populations.
As a result, Venice introduced quotas on the number of visitors who can come to the Doge’s city each day, and the Netherlands stopped promoting itself as a tourist destination five years ago.
At Fitur, major players in the sector are now thinking about how to make tourism more ecologically and socially sustainable.
“Spain is increasingly opting for sustainable tourism for visitors who want to escape overcrowding,” says Jaime Velázquez, Euronews correspondent. “Tourism at a different pace, like on natural trails to explore Spain on foot or by bike.”
New strategies and new destinations are being put forward to reduce the number of visitors in areas where tourism is overflowing.
“This overconcentration tends to occur mainly in coastal areas during the summer period,” notes Blanca Pérez Sauquillo, marketing director at Turespaña. “What we are trying to highlight is another type of product that can be consumed all year round and not just sun and beach. For example, it is about turning towards nature , urban tourism, gastronomy, or cultural tourism.
Climate change is one of the main threats facing the sector. Heatwaves and drought are particularly affecting destinations like Greece and Spain, which has already announced the implementation of water restrictions this summer in certain coastal areas.
“First of all, we need to make travel more sustainable,” says Julia Simpson, president of the World Travel and Tourism Council. “And to make travel more sustainable, there are several ways to go about it. The first is to ensure that planes use, wherever possible, the most sustainable fuel available on the market.”
Tourism is estimated to contribute 8% of total greenhouse gas emissions. To ensure its sustainability, the sector must therefore meet the challenge of reducing its carbon footprint.