14 Amendments of Iratxe GARCÍA PÉREZ related to 2010/2206(INI)
Amendment 7 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Emphasises the fact that rural and farm tourism make a vital contribution to improving the quality of life in rural areas and in the diversification of the rural economy, and helpcreating new opportunities, especially for young people and women, given that these activities in all ways complement the traditional primary sector activities, indeed reinforcing them in the case of farm tourism, and contributing to arresting the depopulation of rural areas, while also helping to preserve cultural identities and traditional customs;
Amendment 11 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Emphasises that tourism has a tangible impact on the economic, social and territorial cohesion of all the Member States; stresses also that tourism represents the main resource of some EU regions, such as islands, outlying regions, remote border towns and regions that are lagging behind economically, and that it has a direct impact on growth in other sectors; considers that tourism also offers an opportunity for economic recovery in regions affected by depopulation;
Amendment 12 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4a (new)
Paragraph 4a (new)
4a. Stresses that rural tourism and farm tourism make up a non-polluting sector of the economy which is not liable to relocation, and whose special characteristics render it, unlike other forms of tourism in Europe such as beach tourism, less dependent on seasonal factors; a commitment to its development is therefore also a commitment to creating new sources of permanent quality jobs;
Amendment 14 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Emphasises also that rural and farm tourism require special attention as they are more vulnerable in specific aspects than other tourism sectors, including the need to improve infrastructure in rural areas as well as the public transport networks linking them to cities, the limited access to credit for the development of farm tourism activities, and insufficiently-structured supply with poor connections to the market;
Amendment 15 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5a (new)
Paragraph 5a (new)
5a. Stresses the need to promote training and innovation as pillars for developing the competitiveness of rural and farm tourism; recalls that most firms active in this sector are microbusinesses which have a key role to play in job creation for women and young people; therefore supports creating instruments for improving skills levels which can be transferred to other activities in the countryside;
Amendment 19 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6a (new)
Paragraph 6a (new)
6a. Stresses the need to raise awareness among the public, in both the EU and third countries, of what farm tourism has to offer, enhancing its profile on the Community portal visiteeuropa.com; also proposes developing the links between tourism offers and the Nature 2000 network, so as to increase the visibility of protection and conservation efforts in the areas concerned, thus helping to boost their development;
Amendment 22 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6b (new)
Paragraph 6b (new)
6b. Recalls that one in six people in the EU have a disability of some kind, and therefore considers it vital to promote forms of rural and farm tourism that are adapted and accessible to those with disabilities or reduced mobility;
Amendment 23 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Considers that social, economic and environmental sustainability are a prerequisite for developing and maintaining all tourism activity; urges the Commission to develop a ‘European label’ in order to create a profile for products and services of excellence and at the same time enhance Europe’s image worldwide; urges the Commission to rely on advice from those Member States with experience in the development, implementation and administration of tourist quality labels;
Amendment 31 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9a (new)
Paragraph 9a (new)
9a. Proposes to the Commission the establishment of a specific strategy for the development of rural and farm tourism, as in the case of that existing for beach tourism, which would promote new forms of public action on the basis of coordination and leadership from the institutions and the necessary public- private cooperation; also favours developing a European network of excellence for rural tourism, together with a classification scheme;
Amendment 32 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9b (new)
Paragraph 9b (new)
9b. Proposes to the Commission the establishment of uniform criteria for introducing quality indicators for rural and farm tourism, as already exists in the traditional hotel industry, on the basis of a strict set of criteria for awarding those indicators and thus ensuring that they are not devalued;
Amendment 35 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Reiterates that the development of sustainable and socially responsible forms of tourism would provide local economies with a lasting source of income and a means of promoting stable employment, while at the same time making it possible to safeguard and enhance the landscape and the cultural, historical and social heritage of every region;
Amendment 52 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Calls on the Commission, the Member States and the local and regional authorities to encourage and support the development of networks and the creation of partnerships for the exchange of good practice and the creation of common tourist labels; hopes that concrete initiatives will be undertaken in support of innovation and the development of new information technologies, and that access will be facilitated for stakeholders in the tourist industry, and particularly small– and medium–sized enterprises, to the relevant financial instruments;
Amendment 63 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Considers it necessary to counterbalance the effects of seasonal tourism by diversifying tourism and through tourist specialisation, including via support for new forms of tourism such as health tourism, especially spa tourism, ecological and rural tourism, culinary tours, cultural tours and socially-responsible tourism, in particular when aimed at people with reduced mobility, young people, school pupils and the elderly, who constitute a market with huge growth potential; welcomes the positive results achieved by the CALYPSO programme and calls on the Commission to consider the possibility of extending it indefinitely;
Amendment 74 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Calls for greater emphasis to be placed on quality of employment in the tourism sector, with a focus on training with a high language and technology content, on support for SMEs and entrepreneurship among women and young people, on labour force mobility thanks to various Community programmes and on combating undeclared work; encourages the Member States and local authorities to make use of the vocational training tools offered by the European Social Fund and by other Community and national instruments;