Source: European Parliament
1. The Commission is aware of the challenges that unbalanced tourism may create for the infrastructure, the environment, the economy and/or the social fabric of certain local destinations, as well as affecting the quality of the experience for visitors. This was acknowledged by the 2022 report on Unbalanced tourism growth at destination level[1]. The Commission supports through several projects the exchange of good practices among the Destination Management Organisations, including on tourist flows management. The link between tourism and the housing crisis lacks more detailed studies, which will be needed in order to better understand their potential mutual influence. The Commission has already established a Housing Task Force to steer and coordinate the preparation of the European Affordable Housing Plan[2], with a view to addressing structural drivers of the housing crisis.
2. As announced in the Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism confirmation hearing[3], the Commission will present in early 2026 its Sustainable Tourism Strategy, following consultations in the next few months with the European Parliament, Member States, Local and Regional Authorities, other stakeholders of the sector, and tourism destinations.
3. In terms of financing, a guide for EU funding is available for tourism stakeholders[4], as no single specific instrument is dedicated to promote or manage tourism. For example, EUR 1,79 billion are allocated to Spain for the development of Tourism Sustainability Plans under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RFF)[5]. Moreover, EUR 4.2 billion between 2021 and 2027 are allocated to sustainable tourism under the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), out of which EUR 700 million have been earmarked to Spain.
- [1] Root causes, impacts, existing solutions and good practices,
https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/816f1561-3a32-11ed-9c68-01aa75ed71a1/language-en - [2] https://single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu/sectors/proximity-and-social-economy/social-economy-eu/affordable-housing-initiative_en
- [3] https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/nl/press-room/20241029IPR25032/hearing-of-commissioner-designate-apostolos-tzitzikostas
- [4] https://transport.ec.europa.eu/tourism/eu-funding-and-businesses/guide-eu-funding-tourism_en
- [5] https://www.igae.pap.hacienda.gob.es/sitios/igae/es-ES/Control/Documents/Anexo%20Decisi%C3%B3n%20ST-9303-2024-ADD-1_es.pdf