EP - Establishing Sustainable Tourism Destinations in the EU
“Establishing Sustainable Tourism Destinations in the EU”
📅 Date: Wednesday, 1 October 2025
🕛 Time: 15:00 – 18:00 (CET)
📍 Venue: European Parliament, Room SPINELLI 1G2, Brussels
Hosted by MEP Elena Kountoura (The Left), Vice-Chair of the Committee on Transport and Tourism (TRAN)
As the European Union prepares to adopt its first-ever Sustainable Tourism Strategy, this high-level policy event will bring together key institutional, governmental, and industry voices to explore how the EU can shape truly sustainable and resilient tourism destinations across Europe. The discussion will focus on the need to build genuinely sustainable and resilient tourism destinations across Europe, capable of delivering long-term value not only for businesses and travellers, but also for local communities, the environment, and future generations.
The event will be opened with a video message by Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism Apostolos Tzitzikostas.
A keynote speech will also be delivered by Mr Randy Durband, CEO of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), who will share insights on the critical role of sustainability standards in shaping the sustainable future of tourism.
The event is structured around two key policy priorities:
🔹 The first panel, “Policies for Sustainable and Resilient Tourism Destinations 2030”, will explore how EU governance frameworks, policy tools, and multilevel cooperation can support the transition to a sustainable tourism model. It will highlight the role of Member States and regional actors in ensuring place-based, inclusive, and coordinated implementation.
🔹 The second panel, “The urgent need for a European data/monitoring system and the establishment of Sustainable Tourism Destinations”, will address the foundational role of reliable, comparable, and timely tourism data in effective policy design. It will also explore how shared indicators and performance monitoring can support investment, destination planning, and local engagement.
Speakers include:
Senior representatives from the European Commission (DG Move), EU Member States, UN Tourism, the OECD, the Committee of the Regions, NECSTour, TRAN Committee & Tourism Task Force Members, MEPs, and key industry stakeholders including GSTC, HOTREC, ECTAA, and CLIA.
The event is organised with the support of the Left Group. A light lunch will be offered to all participants.
If you wish to attend the event scheduled for Wednesday, 1 October 2025, please fill out the online registration form below.
🔗 Register Here
Staff