The tourism sector in the EU is estimated to generate more than 10% of the EU GDP and approximately 12% of all jobs, many of which are within SMEs (European Commission, 2010). Tourism has proved resilient in these last decades, with the EU28 hosting 478 million international tourists in 2015, a notable increase from the 331 million in 2000 (UN World Tourism Organisation, 2016). However, the industry is faced with a number of challenges that will characterise its future development, such as sustainability, the capacity to fully take into account “current and future economic, social and environmental impacts” (UNWTO), and digitisation, since tourists are increasingly reliant on the flexible and often cheaper digital services of the sharing economy.

This symposium will provide delegates with an invaluable opportunity to appraise the present of the tourism sector in the EU and explore future scenarios of sustainability. Delegates will scrutinise opportunities and challenges associated with the digitisation of the sector and the implementation of the sharing economy model, and will be presented with an overview of the relevant EU funding schemes for tourism.

Overview:

• Session 1 - Assessing Priorities for Tourism at EU Level: Sustainability and Digitisation
• Session 2 - Achieving a Sustainable Future for Tourism in the EU
• Session 3 - Harnessing the Digital Transformation: Opportunities and Challenges for the Tourism Sector 
• Session 4 - Financing Sustainability and Digitisation: Private and Public Funding 

Delegates will:

• Examine the present and the future of tourism at EU level
• Assess the prospects of improved sustainability and digitisation in the tourism sector
• Explore how to foster sustainability and derive best practice
• Discuss opportunities and challenges linked to novel business models in the digital age
• Appraise public and private funding opportunities to boost investments
• Analyse relevant EU activities on tourism sustainability, such as ETIS and EU Ecolabel
• Discover available tools to foster entrepreneurial innovation capacity
• Engage in interactive discussions with stakeholders and trendsetters in the field of tourism