The solution to the problems in tourism due to the pandemic lies in a coordinated recovery of all countries and it is also necessary to upgrade the ReOpen EU and ECDC maps as soon as possible, Croatian Tourism Minister Nikolina Brnjac said on Friday at an informal meeting of EU tourism ministers.
The meeting was held as part of a virtual sustainable tourism forum organised by the Portuguese presidency.
The Croatian Tourism Ministry said the meeting discussed the future of tourism and joint activities to make it sustainable, innovative and resilient.
Brnjac said the solution lay in a coordinated recovery of all countries and stakeholders that would lead to sustainable development, digitalisation and innovation.
The 2030-50 European tourism agenda will play an important role in shaping activities to deal with common challenges, such as the effects of overtourism on Europe's natural, cultural and historical heritage and support to local communities, she said.
"Croatia plans to find an answer through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, which links a comprehensive reform of the tourism sector and investments which support sustainability, green and digital goals."
Brnjac said it was important to relaunch tourism and the travel industry also through predictable travel protocols at EU level and to upgrade the ReOpen EU and ECDC (European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control) maps.
"The ReOpen EU map is an excellent tool and we believe it offers citizens all the relevant information to facilitate free movement and tourism recovery in the EU. If we use the NUTS2 regions instead of the current NUTS2 to mark green regions on the ECDC and ReOpen EU, we will have more precise information on regions with low virus frequencies where tourism and other economic activities can resume," she said.
The EU ministers agreed that tourism is a very important sector in the EU's economy and that such debates are excellent for faster tourism recovery and its sustainability, the Croatian ministry said.
(Hina)
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