HOTREC Position paper on overtourism
Putting sustainable tourism on top of the
EU policy agenda for the benefits of society
OVERTOURISM: A PRESSING ISSUE OF CONCERN FOR SOCIETY
With international tourist arrivals forecast to rise by 250
million over the next decade, the challenges facing Europe’s
destinations shall urgently be addressed, and consequently
the ones facing the tourism sector. However, we concur
with the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) which stated
in August 2017: “Tourism growth is not the enemy; it’s
how we manage it that counts”. Indeed, one of the most
pressing issues is to measure tourism flows, as well as the
exponential growth of short term rentals through online
platforms, which have so far taken place ‘off the radar’ of
destination authorities.
The global rise in the number of travellers to, and around
Europe for the purpose of tourism is, in principle, good news
for the European hospitality industry, and the tourism sector
as a whole. However, the main challenge is that demand
has not yet evenly spread. Instead, it is concentrated in a
few destinations, especially cities where citizens live and
work, and which therefore suffer from pressure on public
infrastructure and the environment as well as from the lack
of available rentals and the rise of housing costs. However,
the negative effects of this concentration cannot all be
attributed to tourism alone. What is often reduced to the
Chair of the “Sharing”
Economy Task Force
Ramón Estalella
Chief Executive Officer
Christian de Barrin
What is HOTREC?
HOTREC represents the hotel, restaurant and café industry at European level. The
sector counts in total around 1.9 million businesses, being 99,5% small and medium
sized enterprises (90% are micro enterprises, i.e. employing less than 10 people).
These businesses make up some 60% of value added. The industry provides some 11.1
million jobs in the EU alone. Together with the other tourism industries, the sector is
the 3rd largest industry in Europe. HOTREC brings together 43 national associations
representing the interest of this industry in 30 different European countries.
simple issue of ‘tourist overcrowding’ should also be linked
to complex challenges such as population growth and its
concentration in cities.
To sustain tourism and its many benefits to all stakeholders
alike, solutions are to be found in the diversification o
f t he
tourism offer t hroughout r egions and s easons, while g iving
back the cities to their residents and facilitating the creation
of even more jobs and growth.
As the umbrella Association of Hotels, Restaurants and Cafes
in Europe, HOTREC is committed to the goals of sustainable
development, and to playing a leading role in contributing
to the prosperity of European destinations. The goal of this
position paper is to map the causes and consequences of
Overtourism in European destinations, taking the
example of case studies from
five
destinations and to
put forward recommendations on ensuring the sustainable
management of increasing tourism flows.