In September 2011, the European Parliament adopted a resolution calling for a direct budget line for tourism in EU funding programmes, specifically in the multi-annual financial framework (MFF) 2014-2020.
This is very welcome, as tourism has the capacity to create employment faster than any other sector of the economy. For example, according to the U.S. Travel Association, the travel and tourism industry has created jobs at a pace that has been 26% faster than the rest of the U.S. economy since employment recovery began in March 2010. More recently, a 2011 study by Oxford Economics for the British Hospitality Association showed that 236,000 net additional new jobs could be created across the UK by 2015, if the hospitality sector was positioned firmly as a key driver of economic recovery.
However, current EU funding programmes for tourism are scattered across other policy areas and lack cohesion. This makes it very difficult for operators to understand the type and level of supports on offer. RPA recently conducted a study on the impact of EU policies on tourism including a guide to funding instruments for the sector. It provides proof if any were needed, that EU financial measures for tourism need to be radically overhauled.
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