The Mediterranean region attracts tourists from all over the world but mass tourism also poses environmental challenges, on which the EU and its member states have started to act, says Elena Kountoura.
Elena Kountoura is a Member of the European Parliament for the Left political group. Before she was elected to the European Parliament, Kountoura was tourism minister in the government of Alexis Tsipras (2015-2019).
She responded in writing to questions from EURACTIV about the future of tourism in the Mediterranean region.
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The Mediterranean region is the world’s leading tourist destination, welcoming more than 400 million people per year. At the same time, tourism also causes environmental degradation and is a growing source of greenhouse gas emissions, notably from transport. How can tourism be reconciled with green objectives? Can emissions be reduced to zero?
The Mediterranean is a precious ecosystem of life on land and below water, and also a cradle of diverse cultures, history and civilisations that makes it one of the top global tourism destinations.
Yet, the future of the Mediterranean is under threat and concerns us all. A common vision and strategy, followed by firm action are required for its protection. It is a great challenge, and an even greater responsibility to act proactively to mitigate the environmental crisis in the Med and to ensure the well-being of its people, who are the first to be impacted by human activity.
To succeed in this goal, no country can do it alone. We need to cooperate to accomplish the Paris Agreement on climate change and set common targets and deadlines to achieve sooner than 2050 the reduction of 90% of greenhouse emissions from the transport sector, and such should be the case for tourism and travel.
We also need to align our national strategies and policies and act together for the protection of the environment, but also for sustainable business activity and sustainable jobs in the whole region. Because in the end, tourism is all about connecting people and places, and tourism’s workforce is its strongest asset.
Who are the leading countries or municipalities on sustainable tourism across the Mediterranean region? Are there best practices that are worth mentioning that others could draw inspiration from?
Several destinations in the Mediterranean and Southern Europe region have partnered through Interreg and other European programs, and today represent success stories in how to work together, exchange best practices and implement ambitious plans that are already transforming popular destinations.
I can speak of inspiring examples in my country Greece, where several islands are in the process of becoming sustainable. For example, Astypalea island has already shifted to e-mobility by switching from conventional to electric vehicles.
Tilos island is to become the first island in the Mediterranean 100% energy self-sufficient, using solar and wind for energy, and 80% of its waste is now recycled. Paros aims to become the first single-use plastic, waste-free island in the Med.
And Rhodes has launched the “Co-Lab” project for a holistic sustainable transformation of the destination’s tourism value chain, for environmental, social and economic progress.
What initiatives is the European Union taking in order to promote more sustainable tourism?
Tourism represents over 10% of the European economy and employment, and also supports social cohesion. It is a multiplier of growth, supporting almost every productive sector, such as transportation, energy, agriculture, construction, trade and creative industries.
Therefore, tourism’s sustainable transformation should be placed high on the European agenda. The European Parliament has adopted a resolution in March 2021 for the urgent need for an EU Strategy for sustainable tourism, the first to be drafted.
Following our resolution, the European Commission presented last June the Transition Pathway for Tourism. This paper is basically shaping the guidelines for tourism stakeholders to take action and will lead to the European Agenda for Tourism 2030, following a wide consultation across Europe.
Sustainable tourism strategies will not only help tackle seasonality by extending the tourism season but also prevent overtourism and its negative impact on the destination, by developing sustainable alternative tourism offering and green infrastructure in both the public and private sectors.
Tourism activities that will help preserve local culture, history and heritage, whether it is natural or cultural sites, but also local gastronomy and local products by local producers, and artefacts by local craftspeople, are part of a global trend and mindset about how each traveller can positively contribute to the destination.
Authentic travel experiences, such as nature-based activities, ecotourism, health tourism, sports tourism and cultural tourism, allow visitors’ flows to spread year-round, but mostly create steady business and income to the benefit of the environment, the economy and the society.
The European and national strategies for sustainable tourism will require significant funding for European stakeholders and especially SMEs. European funding is available through various instruments, which are however scattered and very difficult to access.
The EU needs to do more in terms of funding, such as creating a new budget line specifically for tourism and facilitating access to funding, especially for SMEs.
Cities like Venice have restricted access to large ships from their waters because of the environmental damage they can cause. In cities, ferries also emit toxic fumes that cause air pollution. Do you think a European framework is needed to address this nuisance? Or is this a matter best addressed at the local level?
Common European guidelines and rules are definitely needed to prevent environmental harm from excessive marine activities. Indeed, several major cruise destinations and European ports are introducing restrictions to prevent environmental degradation.
The European Parliament adopted last month its legislative resolution concerning the EU rules on the use of renewable and low-carbon fuels in maritime transport. The whole of Southern Europe and the Mediterranean basin relies heavily on shipping and on cruise activity, requiring stricter rules and more ambitious targets to tackle pollution.
We, therefore, called for the shipping sector to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from ships by 2% from 2025, 20% from 2035 and 80% from 2050 compared to 2020 levels. National and local governments, but also the private sector, have to take into account the emergency and align to adopt more effective measures the sooner as possible.
The European Union is considering restrictions on pollution from maritime fuels as well as measures to encourage electric mobility. What is the relevance of this for the tourism industry? Can clean mobility become a selling point for the Mediterranean?
Electromobility is about to become the norm in our everyday life in the coming years, on how we move and travel. The European Parliament recently voted on the resolution regarding the AFIR Regulation, part of the ‘Fit for 55’ package and the strongest legal framework we have come up with, to date.
The Regulation sets legally binding minimum requirements for member states to develop the necessary alternative fuel infrastructure, aiming to create a fully interconnected and interoperable network across Europe.
Our position is steady that we need in advance to secure adequate infrastructure across all European road networks and in popular spots within cities, to be able to cope with the increasing need for capacity of both residents, professionals, and visitors.
We know Europe is a leader globally in addressing climate change. I would like to see Europe also become a global example of green travel, being the most visited destination in the world.
Some municipalities have started restricting access to sites or cities in order to prevent nuisance caused by tourism. Are we moving towards the end of mass tourism?
Mass tourism is gradually giving its place to authentic personalised and diversified travel experiences, which have been trending in the past years. The pandemic and the priority on health safety have accelerated the changes in travel patterns.
We already see a swift shift in demand for experiences linked with health tourism, wellness, sports and outdoor activities in nature. Countries and destinations that in the past had relied heavily on mass tourism or almost exclusively on the sea-sun-sand are already shifting towards thematic tourism products based on their natural and cultural wealth that will bring new demand and new tourist flows throughout the year.
It is very important though, to have the right framework in place so that businesses can be supported to adjust to the new demand, in terms of tourism products and services. States also must provide a holistic strategy and action plan, with clear guidelines and the necessary funding for the infrastructure needed in destinations, for business activity to be able to develop such services, for the workforce’s upskilling and reskilling, and eventually to attract new investments.
The European Parliament has proposed that Member States draft national plans for sustainable tourism, as part of the COVID-19 recovery programme. What progress has been made on this? How much support is there for the idea?
Transportation and tourism were the sectors mostly hit by the pandemic outbreak. In our resolution for the first EU strategy for sustainable tourism, we asked member-states to devise national plans for sustainable tourism development, with funding from the Next Generation EU program.
Especially countries that rely on tourism, should be able to rebuild a stronger, more resilient and more sustainable tourism sector. Yet, each country has been responsible for the national plan submitted, based on specific national priorities.
There is no way to track the exact amount each country has secured for tourism, as such actions are part of the wider horizontal national strategies, for example, digitisation and greening of the economy.
What also is important, especially in times of crises, such as now, is that we are dealing with an acute shock in energy prices and inflation, countries should rethink their taxation policies, and implement tax reliefs on goods and services that are heavily related to tourism.
It is essential to support local, family-run, small and medium-sized businesses, which are at the core of hospitality and represent about 90 per cent of business in the wider tourism sector.
And the most urgent priority of all is to support the workforce and restore jobs in the sector at the pre-pandemic levels. Tourism suffered a great shock with the loss of millions of jobs globally and in Europe due to the pandemic.
Also, the “Great Resignation” phenomenon needs intense efforts at all levels to be reversed permanently. So, a permanent solution requires combined efforts from the public and private sectors, focusing on supportive policies to ensure decent work conditions and better salaries in the sector, specialised employment programs, mutually recognised skills across boarders and flexibility, as well as support for ongoing education, training and new skill development.
Do you believe specific restrictions on tourism should apply to islands, which have a more fragile ecosystem? Can the EU bring added value here or are these decisions best taken at the local level?
Responsible governance at a local level is imperative to prioritise the different needs of each island for building up resilience, including managing its natural resources and its tourism activities, addressing climate change impacts, diversifying the local economy and engaging the local community. Coordination of local efforts with central policies is of course needed.
Yet, at a European level, it is today more than urgent to tackle collectively the issue of insularity which is key for Europe’s social and economic cohesion and inclusiveness. Many remote and island regions of Europe have special needs that were systematically neglected for decades.
Decision-making has been poor in mitigating the high cost of transportation that islands and remote areas endure, mostly because of the lack of efficient and affordable mobility and connectivity.
While in the summer, several are very popular destinations, this is not the case for the winter, where everyday life is difficult for locals and the cost of living is becoming unbearable, with the current energy crisis.
Now is the time that policies in the Med and Europe for sustainability, green and digital transition, address in a fair way the issue of insularity. Not only because it is a matter of social justice for the people living in these areas, but also because growing social and economic inequalities threaten cohesion.
If the transition to sustainability is not entirely fair, covering the needs of all citizens and all regions, a significant part of the human capital, entrepreneurship and jobs in several European regions is at risk of being lost. These areas also need to be facilitated for their green and digital transformation, and for adopting circular practices in green growth and blue economy.
You also mentioned the idea of creating a European crisis management mechanism to ensure a just transition to a green economy. How would this work? In which circumstances would it be triggered?
My proposal for a European crisis mechanism has been adopted in the European Parliament resolution regarding the impact of the Thomas Cook bankruptcy, in October 2019.
If such a mechanism was already in place, it would definitely be triggered immediately during the pandemic outbreak to support member-states to deal with the impact on tourism from the travel restrictions and lockdowns and would appeal for more coordinated measures in regard to transnational travel.
The purpose of my proposal for a European mechanism has to do exactly with the much-needed support for countries to cope with mega-crises that they cannot afford to address alone, such as natural disasters, security and safety issues, extreme weather phenomena that impact tourism, and of course the climate crisis. We need such a mechanism to be established for the benefit of all.