Cruise Tourism: European Commission to Hold Pan-European Dialogue in 2015

Photo source: ec.europa.eu

The European Commission has announced the launch of the Pan-European Dialogue between cruise operators, ports and coastal tourism stakeholders with a conference in Brussels, Belgium, on 5-6 March 2015.

As announced in action 3 of the Communication “A European Strategy for more Growth and Jobs in Coastal and Maritime Tourism”, the Commission promotes a structural dialogue on cruise tourism to enhance synergies in the sector, targeting best practice sharing in innovation, competitiveness and sustainability strategies.

The Dialogue will bring ports, cruise operators and coastal tourism stakeholders together to discuss and find solutions to issues such as congestion in ports, the economics of cruise visits for coastal communities, saturation of the most popular destinations, implementation of existing legislation (e.g. reception facilities for waste management at ports), environmental challenges and innovation potential. Participants will also have the occasion to discuss the regional challenges and opportunities for the sector in specific sea-basin dedicated workshops.

Discussions and conclusions will feed the work of the Commission and all those involved in cruise tourism, and will pave the way for the next steps in the Dialogue.

More precise information on the agenda and location of the event will follow in the coming weeks. For additional info, contact MARE-D1@ec.europa.eu.