At the 17th tourism summit in Berlin, President Jose Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, gave a speech reminding his audience of the mutually beneficial effects of tourism and European integration, underlining in particular the importance of the four freedoms of the Single Market for a flourishing tourism sector.
 
"If the true purpose of the European project is 'not to unify States but to unite people', then the importance of the tourism sector to achieve this goal is enormous," he stated.



"More than anything, over the decades, Europe's citizens travelling from their own country to other European countries has brought our continent together. In the people's experience, travel has made European unity something tangible, beneficial and attractive. Tourism has made it ever more natural to be 'European'. Therefore it has contributed to forging a European identity, based on Europe's cultural diversity. At the same time, vice versa the importance of Europe for the tourism sector is equally vital. Where would tourism be today without the four freedoms of the single European market? Without the free movement of goods, of services, of capital, and, of course, of persons."
 
He also underlined the economic importance of tourism and its role as an indicator of our growth performance and consumer confidence. He drew attention to the fact that tourism resisted and is now recovering from the crisis better than most sectors.

He recalled that the integration of markets to the benefit of companies and consumers, which is so crucial for tourism, is a continuing effort. He stressed that there will be no way back to the 'old normal', but we are finding our way towards a 'new normal', based on a changed growth model that will make the Union more resilient and competitive.
 
President Barroso characterised tourism as a "powerful engine for domestic demand-driven growth, for instance in Germany, where this is currently the subject of an important debate. But it is equally important in the wider European rebalancing exercise, since Mediterranean Europe has performed even better than average in recent years."

He reminded the audience that this region is the top holiday destination worldwide, with 18% of market share: "Spain is leading the way with 34 million tourists between January and July, and a 4% rise in international arrivals compared to last year. Greece (+ 9.2%), Malta (+10 %) and Portugal (+8 %) all reported healthy growth. Another reason to cherish the tourism industry's to Europe's growth and job creation."
 
Last but not least, President Barroso recalled how the Commission aims to foster the competitiveness of the tourism sector by creating a favourable environment for enterprises and for cooperation among Member States.