Activities of Gaston FRANCO related to 2010/2206(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Tourism in Europe (debate)
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on Europe, the world’s No 1 tourist destination – a new political framework for tourism in Europe
Amendments (14)
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Notes that the competitiveness of the European tourism industry will only be guaranteed by using the best technologies available, therefore skills, experiences and best practices in tourism sector should be shared; considers that these technologies will be developed through broadband internet, which should be deployed in all areas and used to benefit all tourism structures of whatever size; considers that other new technologies will permit the sustainable management of buildings and resources with the aim of participating in the development of environmentally-friendly tourism that fosters local activities; calls on Member States and local authorities to share skills, experiences and best practices in the tourism sector; underlines the importance of mutual recognition of diplomas and qualifications in the tourism sector across Europe;
Amendment 7 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Proposes the creation of a European and Mediterranean tourism observatory that will measure the performance of European tourism, focusing in particular on exchanges of best practice in relation to new forms of civic tourism that respect our environment, local values, local cultures and communities; stresses the need to promote structures such as bed and breakfast, farm tourism, eco-lodges, home exchange, coach surfing, cultural tourism, etc;
Amendment 9 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Calls for a substantial 'tourism' chapter to be incorporated in the future 'competitiveness and innovation ' programme that will make it possible to promote: new energy-saving and environmentally-friendly technologies and IT services, experimenting with new sustainable tourism approaches in specific geographical areas with the aim of balancing coastal tourism, creating tourism 'clusters', funding experiments with a view to new destination areas, in particular cross-border areas, whilst providing support to the local authorities concerned;
Amendment 12 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 c (new)
Paragraph 1 c (new)
1c. Stresses the need to preserve and upgrade tourism-related jobs; recommends that particular attention be paid to training for people working in the sector in languages, use of the internet and use of electronic information- processing systems; encourages the creation of specialised masters programmes in tourism such as that offered by the Euro-Mediterranean University EMUNI, as well as training programmes linked to business needs;
Amendment 14 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Believes that better coordination of R&D in the field of tourism will result in benefits for the sustainability of the tourism sector; notes that e-commerce has become the main means of researching and choosing tourist destinations; regrets the domination of large foreign purchasing centres and the fact that Europe is lagging behind in this field; suggests studying the introduction of a European tourism metasearch engine and continuing with research in the field of secure electronic payments;
Amendment 24 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Highlights the need to diversify the portfolio of tourism services in Europe; calls fstresses the need to make tourism less seasonal, which is a key factor ain EU-wide promotion of tourism in EU and for enhanced cooperation between Member States when promoting tourismthe competitiveness of the European tourism sector; calls for the launching of a large- scale campaign to promote European tourism in Europe and at world level and for enhanced cooperation between Member States when promoting tourism, whilst respecting the wish of national and local destinations to communicate on their own behalf;
Amendment 40 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. 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 42 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4b. Takes the view that the drawing-up of a European Charter on sustainable and responsible tourism must take account of the political recommendations issued by the International Taskforce for Sustainable Tourism Development (GTI- DTD) set up as part of the Marrakech process, in particular the adoption of sustainable modes of consumption and production for tourism and the life-cycle approach in the tourism value chain; hopes that the European strategy for sustainable and competitive tourism will complement the action taken within the world partnership for sustainable tourism;
Amendment 43 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 c (new)
Paragraph 4 c (new)
4c. Stresses the economic importance of 'shopping tourism', since purchasing luxury products is a key motivation for a significant number of tourists, particularly from Asia, to visit the EU, given that European firms and brands are world leaders in the luxury goods sector; stresses that this type of tourism is expanding rapidly but the EU faces strong competition from other international destinations; therefore recommends working with the luxury goods sector on new measures and offers that will enable the EU to preserve its attractiveness and competitiveness;
Amendment 45 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Stresses that the role of enterprises, including SMEs, and of local authorities should be widely recognised when developing tourism policy in Europe; believes that the legislative framework should therefore be more business-friendly, and take into account specific needs of enterprises in the tourism industry such as flexible working time arrangements, whilst respecting labour law;
Amendment 49 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a, Stresses that, thanks to their geographical situation, the outermost regions (ORs) and overseas countries and territories (OCTs) are the European Union's windows to the world and they respond perfectly to some of the options proposed by the Commission, in particular the development of out-of- season tourism for EU citizens; points out that the ORs also offer nearby countries such as the United States, Canada and the BRIC group of countries, particularly Brazil, the opportunity to discover the specific features of tourism on European territory, which combines safe travel, health infrastructure and quality hotel and catering facilities;
Amendment 58 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Proposes considering the creation of a Euro-Mediterranean organisation for tourism cooperation and development in order to make the Mediterranean a single statistical area, produce analyses as a guide to business and public authorities in their decision-making, promote destinations, and create a network linking centres offering training in tourism- related jobs;
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.);