Tourism Minister Gari Cappelli said on Wednesday after a second virtual meeting with his European counterparts that the principle of sustainable development should be taken into account when relaunching tourism, the Croatian ministry stated in a press release.
"The relaunch of this sector should be used to apply the principles of sustainable development in destinations, with the support of digital technologies, because tourism is crucial as a source of much-needed income for local communities and individuals," Minister Cappelli said.
Europe's tourism ministers discussed the Commission's Package of guidelines and recommendations for tourism and transport presented last Wednesday. The package foresees the gradual lifting of travel restrictions and relaunching tourism in accordance with epidemiological recommendations.
The EC has recommended that the EU external border remains closed until June 15.
The commission also recommended that travel vouchers be an alternative to cash reimbursement for cancelled trips. The guidelines also note criteria for the gradual and safe restoration of tourism activities in particular for health protocols and hospitality.
As the summer season is quickly approaching and strong pressure exists by providers of tourism services, certain outstanding issues still exist concerning the relaunching and implementation of the commission's recommendations. Today's conference underlined the need to define a timeframe and conditions to implement the package and to continue with dialogue between member states, the press release said.
The ministers agreed that "further cooperation at the EU level" is important in order to encourage the tourism sector to be "creative and adaptable to change," the ministry's press release said.
(Hina)
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