Tourism and the European Union : recent trends and policy developments : in-depth analysis

Tourism is the third largest socio-economic activity in the European Union, making an important contribution to the EU economy and to job creation. Europe is the most visited region in the world. However, tourism in other regions is growing faster and Europe's market share, in terms of international tourist arrivals and receipts, is shrinking. Tourism businesses in the EU are confronted with a number of changes in tourist profile and behaviour, for example in terms of age, country of origin, how they plan and buy their travel, or which mode of transport they use. Tourism policy remains a competence of the Member States. As the Treaties allow the EU only to support, coordinate or supplement the actions of the Member States, EU tourism policy has been rather limited, consisting mainly in providing financial support or legislating through other EU policies. The current framework for tourism policy is based upon a 2010 Communication; a revised strategy is expected to be adopted by the European Commission later in 2015.