European Commissioner Tzitzikostas at Davos discusses the future of tourism, e-mobility, airports & aviation

The European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism Apostolos Tzitzikostas, participated in the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos. In the debate on tourism, Tzitzikostas stressed that the European Union is a tourism superpower, as it is the world’s leading tourist destination. He noted that tourism performance had reached record levels and constituted a major achievement. “The result of this performance is the strengthening of 3 million small and medium-sized enterprises in European tourism and the support of 20 million jobs,” he said.

Tzitzikostas analysed Europe’s tourism strategy and the initiatives undertaken by the European Commission, among which, he said, are:
– The “European Tourism Transition Charter,” which aims to implement the principles of green and digital transition in the tourism sector.
– The “European Agenda for Tourism 2030,” which aims to introduce innovative solutions, exchange good practices, and promote joint actions in tourism between EU Member States.
– Addressing emerging challenges such as the climate crisis, labour and skills shortages, the lack of digitalisation in tourism businesses, and the need for Europe as a whole to emerge as a unique, safe, and sustainable tourism destination.

In the discussion on the future of electromobility, Tzitzikostas underlined the critical importance of the automotive industry for Europe, both economically, since it represents more than 7% of European GDP, and socially, since the sector employs more than 13 million workers.

In the debate on the future of airports and aviation, Tzitzikostas highlighted the huge benefits for Europe’s economy from the aviation sector and the need to give the industry a perspective by switching to sustainable fuels.

He also referred to the “ReFuelEU” regulation for aviation, which boosts the production and use of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), “paving the way for cleaner aviation.”.
On the sidelines of the Forum, Tzitzikostas had meetings with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al Khateeb, the head of the International Energy Agency Fatih Birol, the CEO of Volvo Cars Jim Rowan, the Vice President of BP Giulia Chierchia, as well as with executives from tourism, airlines, and car manufacturers from all over the world.