Regulation 2011/692 - European statistics on tourism - Main contents

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 192/17

The European Council, in its Presidency Conclusions of 14 December 2007, stressed the crucial role that tourism plays in generating growth and jobs in the Union and called on the Commission, Member States, industry and other stakeholders to join forces in the timely implementation of the Agenda for a sustainable and competitive European tourism.

The Union’s tourism industry occupies an important place in the economy of the Member States with tourist activities representing a large potential source of employment. Any appraisal of its competitiveness requires a good knowledge of the volume of tourism, its characteristics, the profile of the tourist and tourism expenditure and the benefits for the economies of the Member States.

Monthly data is needed in order to measure the seasonal influences of demand on tourist accommodation capacity and thereby help public authorities and economic operators develop more suitable strategies and policies for improving the seasonal spread of holidays and tourism activities.

The majority of European businesses operating in the tourism industry are small or medium-sized, and the strategic importance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in European tourism is not confined to their economic value and their substantial job-creation potential. They also underpin the stability and prosperity of local communities, safeguarding the hospitality and local identity that are the hallmark of tourism in Europe’s regions. Given the size of SMEs, the potential administrative burden needs to be considered, and a system of thresholds should be introduced so that users’ needs can be met, while at the same time reducing the burden of response on the parties responsible for providing statistical data, particularly SMEs.

The changing nature of tourism behaviour since the entry into force of Council Directive 95/57/EC of 23 November 1995 on the collection of statistical information in the field of tourism (2), with the growing importance of short trips and same-day visits contributing substantially in many regions or countries to the income from tourism, the increasing importance of non-rented accommodation or accommodation in smaller establishments, and the growing impact of the Internet on the booking behaviour of tourists and on the tourism industry, means that the production of tourism statistics should be adapted.

In order to enable assessment of the macroeconomic importance of tourism in the economies of the Member States based on the internationally accepted framework of tourism satellite accounting, showing the effects of tourism on the economy and jobs, there is a need to improve the availability, completeness and comprehensiveness of the basic tourism statistics as an input for compiling such accounts and, if deemed necessary by the Commission, as a preparation for a legislative proposal for the transmission of harmonised tables for tourism satellite accounts. This requires that the legal requirements which are currently laid down in Directive 95/57/EC be updated.

In order to examine major issues of economic and social...