Abstract
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify and describe the most recent (or emerging) trends likely to have a major impact in shaping the future of tourism in Europe. Design/methodology/approach The methodology of this paper involved in-depth literature review of European Union policies, initiatives and programs. Also, semi-structured interviews were conducted with key individuals/organisations, mainly at a European level, but also including pertinent global and national tourism organisations. Moreover, an online survey was also conducted and circulated to a wide range of organisations from all 28 EU Member States. Nvivo was used to analyse the documents as well as to conduct a content and thematic analysis of the interviews. Findings This paper identifies five trends associated with the future of tourism in Europe. Those main trends are: evolving visitor demand; marketing; stakeholders and tourism governance; new technologies; and sustainable and responsible tourism. Originality/value This trends paper provides five useful recommendations for the future of tourism in Europe, including: sustainable tourism development, investment in technology, effective tourism governance, enhance Europe's overall destination brand and marketing strategy, and the need for new skills and training.
Highlights
Tourism is the world’s third-largest industry, accounting for 7% of global exports (UNWTO, 2019) and its importance is highlighted by the reliance of a number of associated industries, on tourism for a significant proportion of their income such as accommodation, food and beverage, etc
Tourism creates a surplus for the European Union (EU) economy, with international tourism receipts exceeding EU residents spending on international tourism by 27 billion in 2016 (UNWTO, 2018)
An European Parliament (EP) report from 2016, From Responsible Best Practices to Sustainable Tourism (Peeters et al, 2016), concluded that that there is a lack of data with which to measure the social and environmental effects of tourism, and that the industry fails to internalise many of the external costs
Summary
Tourism is the world’s third-largest industry, accounting for 7% of global exports (UNWTO, 2019) and its importance is highlighted by the reliance of a number of associated industries, on tourism for a significant proportion of their income such as accommodation, food and beverage, etc. A literature review was conducted, focusing on three main areas: academic literature; studies, reports and other grey literature; the most recent and pertinent European Union policies, initiatives and programs. These assisted in framing the future challenges and emerging opportunities for the European tourism sector. A series of interviews were conducted with key individuals, mainly at a European level, and included global and national tourism organisations where pertinent. These were in-depth semi-structured interviews, starting with a list of “topics” or “themes” to structure the conversation without limiting the interviewees responses. We argue that these trends will need to be addressed if the industry is to continue to grow and become genuinely sustainable
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