19 Amendments of Dominique VLASTO related to 2010/2206(INI)
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Believes that the basis for a EU tourism strategy lies firstly in a packet of specific measures solely concerning the tourism sector, and secondly in a precise assessment of how measures in other sectors impact tourism; in that connection, calls for an integrated approach to be taken to tourism policy with a view to generating synergies among both the various sectoral policies and the various financing instruments which have a bearing on tourism and its related sectors;
Amendment 62 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Stresses the importance of collaborating with non-EU countries, including through partnerships, and in particular with the BRIC countries which represent a market of several million potential new tourists; takes the view that the opening-up of new markets is making for more intense competition to the detriment of European tourist destinations, but that the raising of living standards and wages in the BRIC countries is creating new markets to aim at; emphasises, in that connection, the importance of continuing efforts to increase the visibility, quality, competitiveness and diversification of the tourist industry in Europe with a view to attracting new types of visitor;
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Calls on the Commission to consider alternative ways of simplifying the issue of tourist visas, such as ‘group tourism visas’ for group organisers; emphasises the importance of making it easy for business travellers to obtain visas, as this will open up many new markets against the background of an expansion in business and conference tourism;
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Calls on the Commission to assess, in close collaboration with operators in the sector, innovative ways of promoting ad hoc European package holidays during the major international events that Europe will be hosting in the next few years (for example, the 2012 Olympic Games in London, the 2015 Milan Universal Exhibition, etc.) with a view to promoting ‘destination Europe’ with all its rich diversity; takes the view that international events of this kind and European events, such as the European capitals of culture, the European heritage days and the European football championships, should be promoted in conjunction with existing local tourist amenities;
Amendment 92 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Calls on the Commission to assess in conjunction with the Member States the possibility of creating a ‘European Tourism Card’ for the purpose of encouraging tourists who travel in Europe, whether from Member States or from countries outside the EU to do so regularly, by offering information, discounts and dedicated services; points out that initiatives of this kind, alongside the diversification of tourist services and forms of tourism, are consistent with the calls to establish a right to be a tourist;
Amendment 107 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Asks the Commission to promote a specific initiative to harmonise gradually the accommodation classification systems through the identification of common minimum criteria, bearing in mind the positive results of earlier experiments by industry associations and working in close collaboration with standardisation bodies; emphasises the importance of such harmonisation, which can enhance both Europe’s visibility as a leading tourist destination and the information and reassurance provided to tourists;
Amendment 124 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Calls on the Member States to facilitate and encourage training and apprenticeships in the tourism sector and to enhance career opportunities, in particular by developing the scope for retraining, obtaining new qualifications and taking advantage of lifelong training; emphasises that the inherently seasonal nature of tourism can give rise to precarity in terms of employment and working conditions; calls, in that connection, for the development of a specific policy to assist seasonal workers, involving, in particular measures to extend tourist seasons by diversifying tourist activities;
Amendment 142 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. UEmphasises that although island regions and the outermost regions attract many tourists, they are not always readily accessible, despite the requirement to guarantee territorial continuity between all parts of the Union; urges the Commission to promote the use of more sustainable means of transport and to pay particular attention to connections with islands, rural areas and mountainous areas and, more generally, with less accessible destinations;
Amendment 149 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Stresses the need to promote electronic ticket sales systems for the various means of transport, stimulating in this way the system’s intermodality; takes the view that the lack of integrated travel booking systems, accessible in all countries and covering all means of transport, is creating a host of obstacles to freedom of movement and the completion of the internal market;
Amendment 154 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Welcomes the EU’s legislation on passenger rights, particularly in regard to passengers with reduced mobility, and hopes to see the introduction in the medium-term of one single regulationa set of common rules covering the different means of transport, combined with specific rules to take account of the particularities of each one;
Amendment 182 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
30. Considers that rural tourism and agritourism should be properly supported, being sectors that improve the quality of life, bring economic and income-source diversity to rural areas and establish a direct link with the promotion of traditional, ecological and natural food products; observes, in this respect, the importance of ensuring full access to the Internet and IT infrastructure in these areas; believes that this will help to achieve the objective of promoting new forms of tourism, extending the tourist seasons and redistributing tourism activities between areas of high tourism concentration and areas with strong but insufficiently exploited tourism potential;
Amendment 195 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32
Paragraph 32
32. Calls on the Commission to promote a cross-cutting Community initiative involving various sectors, and the agri-food sector in particular, on the environmental impact of tourism, with particular reference to the waste cycle and, to energy and water saving and to the use of land and natural resources, in order to distribute information and useful materials and, raise public awareness and reduce the impact of tourism on the environment;
Amendment 198 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 a (new)
Paragraph 32 a (new)
32a. Points out that tourist activities in Europe are largely concentrated in the coastal areas and mountains, and that these areas are the most fragile and the most threatened by the effects of climate change; reiterates its call for a rapid response to the urgent need for these destinations to benefit from climate change adaptation measures, particularly to maintain tourist activities and jobs and to guarantee the sustainability of these areas and of their fauna, flora and landscape;
Amendment 201 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33
Paragraph 33
33. SPoints out that coastal regions represent the principal tourist destination in Europe and that it is therefore important to give due consideration to spatial planning methods in coastal areas, the risks of extensive urbanisation, the need to maintain the quality and sustainability of coastal areas, their heritage and tourist service infrastructure; stresses that adequate funds need to be invested in a coastal, island and marine tourism strategy in order to protect the European coastline from erosion, safeguard its environmental and animal heritage and improve water quality, all with the aim of developing a sustainable and good quality beach and underwater tourism;
Amendment 208 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35
Paragraph 35
35. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to support, under an integrated maritime policy, the development of port infrastructure, an essential factor in cruise ship tourism which, despite the recent crisis, is a growth sector and in sports tourism; points out the need to link tourist activities in coastal and marines areas with tourist services in the hinterland; considers that this would generate considerable added value for these activities, make it easier to discover the richness of Europe’s heritage and support the development of these regions’ economies;
Amendment 217 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36 a (new)
Paragraph 36 a (new)
36a. Emphasises the economic importance of ‘shopping tourism’; stresses that, for a large number of tourists, this form of tourism is one of the main reasons for holidaying in the EU, which is home to world-leading companies and brands in the luxury sector; notes that while this sector is growing rapidly, the EU faces strong competition from other international tourist destinations which offer, for example, facilities for tax-free shopping or reimbursement of VAT; recommends, therefore, in cooperation with the luxury sector and tourism professionals, working on new measures and services to enable the EU to retain its attractiveness and competitiveness;
Amendment 218 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36 b (new)
Paragraph 36 b (new)
36b. Stresses the need to promote European business tourism in the EU and the world, given its economic importance for certain places in Europe and the number of services linked to hosting and organising trade fairs, exhibitions, conferences and other business events (hotel and catering, shops, transport, communication and event-management agencies, etc.);
Amendment 243 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41
Paragraph 41
41. Calls on the Commission to coordinate, extend and raise the profile of financial instruments managed by various directorates-general and intended to boost the competitiveness of tourism, and to check they are being correctly used, particularly with reference to the ERDF, the EAFRD and the ESF; considers that in a context of budgetary restrictions it is essential to build synergies between the various existing financial instruments, which must be adapted to needs ensuing from changes in tourism and clientele, to the diversification of tourism-related activities and to local development needs;
Amendment 254 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 45
Paragraph 45
45. Requests that the Commission table by September 2011 a legislative proposal revising the Package Travel Directive 90/314/EEC, in order to ensure consumers and firms in the sector have a clear legal framework for standard situations and, in particular, for exceptional situations caused by natural phenomena or political troubles;