Tourism is the third largest socio-economic activity in the European Union, making an important contribution to the EU economy and to job creation. Europe is the most visited region in the world. However, tourism in other regions is growing faster and Europe's market share, in terms of international tourist arrivals and receipts, is shrinking. Tourism businesses in the EU are confronted with a number of changes in tourist profile and behaviour, for example in terms of age, country of origin, how they plan and buy their travel, or which mode of transport they use. Tourism policy remains a competence of the Member States. As the Treaties allow the EU only to support, coordinate or supplement the actions of the Member States, EU tourism policy has been rather limited, consisting mainly in providing financial support or legislating through other EU policies. The current framework for tourism policy is based upon a 2010 Communication; a revised strategy is expected to be adopted by the European Commission later in 2015.

Recoge: 1. How to use the guide - 2. Quality improvements in European tourism - 3. Mainstream funding: the Structural Funds - 4. Support from other sources: fact sheets - 5. EU policy which impacts tourism - 6. Annexes.

This publication contains the proceedings of two UNWTO conferences on "Tourism: a Tool for Sustainable Development in Transitional Economies", held in Belgrade on 20-21 June 2005, and "Impact of European Union Enlargement on Tourism Development in Europe", held in Vilnius, on 1-2 March 2006. There is an overlap between economies in transition and the group of countries that joined the European Union in 2004 and, from the perspective of tourism development, a large group of European countries share similar challenges and opportunities. While Europe is the region that receives the largest number of international tourists and registers the highest amount of receipts from international tourism, there is a great difference between traditional destinations with a long history of tourism development and the countries that recovered independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Some countries already undertook major reforms in their political and economic spheres while others are still addressing structural issues inherited from the past. Tourism contributes positively to European integration and at the same time its success depends on the development and modernisation of several economic and social sectors.

Tourism in the New Europe addresses European tourism within the framework of an enlarged European Union of 25 members. It looks at the substantial reorientation of the organisational framework of European tourism and its profound implications for future structural and geographical patterns of development. Providing a series of thematic evaluations of the relationships between tourism and EU enlargement, this book includes a country-by-country examination of each of the new member states, in terms of their current patterns and trends of tourism development and the impacts which EU accession brings to them.

This book examines the evolution of the phenomenon and explores the genesis of overtourism and the system dynamics underlining it. The 'overtourism' phenomenon is defined as the excessive growth of visitors leading to overcrowding and the consequential suffering of residents, due to temporary and often seasonal tourism peaks, that lead to permanent changes in lifestyles, amenities and well- being. Enormous tensions in overtourism affected destinations have driven the intensification of policy making and scholarly attention toward seeking antidotes to an issue that is considered paradoxical and problematic. Moving beyond the 'top 10 things you can do about overtourism', this book examines the evolution of the phenomenon and explores the genesis of overtourism as well as the system dynamics underpinning it. With a rigorous scientific approach, the book uses systems-thinking and contemporary paradigms around sustainable development, resilience planning and degrowth; while considering global economic, socio-political, environmental discourses. Researchers, analysts, policy makers and industry stakeholders working within tourism as well as those within the private sector, community groups, civil society groups and NGOs will find this book an essential source of information.

Written by leading international tourism researchers, this book examines the key trends in European tourism planning and organisation. It introduces a theoretical framework to tourism planning and organisation using a procedural and structural approach. It also identifies leading and emerging practices and offers a new vision for European tourism planning.