Driving Sustainable Tourism: Key actions for local resilience - Talks

Objective: The Talk aimed to highlight the Sustainable Tourism Partnership's work within the Urban Agenda for the EU (UAEU) framework by presenting the 6 Actions of its Action Plan and emphasising its commitment to fostering sustainable tourism practices, supporting economic recovery, and promoting balanced growth in urban regions.

Overview of the Partnership’s Vision and Goals:
The Partnership’s overarching vision is to advocate for sustainable tourism by:
- Raising awareness among citizens, policymakers, and stakeholders about the benefits and challenges of sustainable tourism.
- Enabling cities to capitalize on economic, social, and environmental opportunities presented by sustainable tourism to foster balanced and resilient growth.
- Encouraging inclusivity and innovation by creating a shared responsibility model across European regions and cities.

Structure and Composition:
The Partnership comprises 29 members, including Cities, Regions, National Authorities, umbrella organisations and European Commission's Directorate Generals, launched in late 2022 with implementation targeted by 2025.
Organized into four Working Groups (Environment, Development, and Unbalanced Growth), each addresses distinct aspects of sustainable tourism, from environmental impacts to socio-economic resilience.

Key Focus Areas:
The Action Plan developed by the Partnership is based on an Ex-Ante Assessment study and aligns with UAEU’s Better Knowledge, Better Funding, and Better Regulation pillars. Key actions include:

Climate Resilience and Sustainable Urban Destinations: Guidelines for cities to develop climate action plans and encourage climate-friendly tourism.
Sustainability Certifications for SMEs: A framework to support tourism SMEs in obtaining sustainability certifications, in line with EU Green Claim legislation.
Digital Competence Development: Targeted upskilling for tourism professionals to optimize digital services and improve sustainable tourism offerings.
Tourism Offer Diversification: Insights on funding mechanisms to support diverse tourism options that enhance resilience.
Promoting Accessibility: Enhanced accessibility across destinations, with a focus on recent legislative developments.
Local Retail Protection: Strategies to counteract “monoculturalisation” of city centers, preserving diverse local retail for cultural and economic value.

After the presentation of the Actions of the Sustainable Tourism Partnership's Action Plan a short discussion followed in which the participants shared their thoughts mainly on:
- the sustainability certifications on a destination level
- tourism as an accelerator of local powers

All participants were invited to follow the Urban Agenda for the EU channels, the dedicated page of Sustainable Tourism Partnership and the European Urban Initiative opportunities and stay informed about the implementation of the proposed Actions which will kick off from November 2024.