During European Tourism Day in Brussels, we were pleased to meet with the European Travel Commission (ETC) on behalf of BT4Europe, including Eduardo Santander Fernández-Portillo PhD, CEO / Executive Director of the European Travel Commission, to exchange views on the direction of the emerging EU Tourism Strategy.
Our message was clear: business travel is an essential part of Europe’s travel and tourism ecosystem and must be explicitly recognised in EU policy.
Europe is a global destination — not only for leisure tourism, but also for business travel from around the world. Professional and business mobility generates year-round economic value, underpins connectivity and regional resilience, and contributes directly to Europe’s competitiveness. Yet in practice, it often remains insufficiently visible, sitting between tourism and transport policy frameworks.
Engaging with ETC is particularly important in this context. As the organisation representing Europe’s destinations and national tourism boards, ETC plays a key role in promoting Europe globally as a competitive, sustainable and well-connected destination — for both leisure tourism and business travel — and in bringing tourism insight into EU policy discussions, helping ensure that the full breadth of travel demand and connectivity is properly understood and supported.
We value the open and constructive exchange and look forward to continuing our positive collaboration, supporting our shared efforts to strengthen Europe’s global competitiveness, improve connectivity, and deliver a smart, sustainable and inclusive tourism and travel ecosystem that works for destinations, businesses and travellers alike.
#EuropeanTourismDay #BusinessTravel #BT4Europe #EuropeanTravelCommission #EUTourismStrategy #TourismForEurope #EUCompetitiveness #EUTransport #ETD26 #DanielAttard #MEP Apostolos Tzitzikostas Nikolina Brnjac
