Tourism in Transition: Europe’s Agenda for 2026 and Beyond
Summary
European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism Apostolos Tzitzikostas delivered a high-level keynote address via live video link from Brussels to ITB Berlin 2026, unable to attend in person due to an active crisis in maritime and air transport sectors triggered by geopolitical instability in the Middle East and the Straits of Ormuz. The session focused on the forthcoming EU Strategy for Sustainable Tourism, set to be formally published in Spring 2026 — the first such strategy in EU history.
Tzitzikostas opened by emphasizing the strategic importance of Europe's tourism sector, noting that Europe remains the world's leading tourism destination, having welcomed over 500 million international visitors in 2025 and recording more than 3 billion nights in official accommodation — a new record. Germany was highlighted as a model: it has the EU's highest share of domestic tourists at 81%, the world's sixth longest railway network, and hosts Oktoberfest in Munich alone attracts millions annually.
The Commissioner identified five major structural challenges for European tourism: (1) geopolitical instability and hybrid threats; (2) climate change and environmental degradation especially in coastal and mountain regions; (3) overtourism in key hotspots alongside undervisitation in other equally attractive areas; (4) a workforce crisis with nearly 1 million unfilled jobs sector-wide, with hospitality alone seeing around 10% of positions vacant; and (5) an incomplete single market, citing car rentals costing up to €1,000 per day for cross-border trips (e.g., Paris to Berlin) as a symptom of fragmentation that creates red tape, higher costs, and reduced competitiveness.
On climate and transport, he announced the Sustainable Transport Investment Plan, which targets mobilizing at least €2.9 billion from EU programs in the short term to scale up renewable and low-carbon fuels in aviation and maritime transport. He also announced that by 2026, the EU aims to identify investment needs in 40 leading EU destinations to improve integration with long-distance rail networks, and later in 2026 he will propose legislation to enable cross-border rail ticketing and booking with a single click — analogous to current air travel booking.
On overtourism, Tzitzikostas called for a strategic shift from volume to value, urging travel companies to diversify, personalize, and add value for visitors and locals alike. He announced that later in 2026, the EU will publish guidelines to help destinations manage tourism flows, with destination management organizations (DMOs) playing a central role, supported by data, digital tools, and AI.
On digitalization, the Commissioner announced plans for a common European data space for tourism — an interoperable framework for sharing high-quality, timely data to improve visitor flow management, sustainability, and resilience. He also announced the EU is seriously considering establishing an EU Tourism Academy to provide advanced training, mobility opportunities, and career development for young tourism professionals.
The session concluded with a call for a unified 'Destination Europe' long-term branding initiative, positioning Europe as safe, secure, sustainable, and culturally outstanding. He highlighted Tampere (Finland) as the 2026 European Capital of Smart Tourism and Dubrovnik (Croatia) as the 2026 European Green Pioneer of Smart Tourism as exemplars of the strategy's vision.
Key Takeaways
- •Europe recorded more than 3 billion nights spent in official accommodation in 2025, described as 'a new and remarkable record,' cementing its status as the world's leading tourism destination with over 500 million international visitors.
- •The Commissioner announced Europe's first-ever EU Strategy for Sustainable Tourism, to be published in Spring 2026, covering sustainability, digitalization, resilience, and inclusive growth — a landmark policy milestone.
- •The European tourism sector faces a labor gap of nearly 1 million unfilled workers sector-wide, with hospitality alone seeing approximately 10% of jobs vacant — a structural crisis the new strategy explicitly aims to address.
- •Cross-border car rentals within the EU can cost up to €1,000 per day (e.g., Paris to Berlin), cited as a concrete symptom of single market fragmentation. New EU rules to fix car rental pricing and fairness are forthcoming.
- •The Sustainable Transport Investment Plan, presented two months prior to ITB 2026, will mobilize at least €2.9 billion from EU programs in the short term to scale up renewable and low-carbon fuels in aviation and maritime transport.
- •Tzitzikostas committed to proposing legislation later in 2026 to enable seamless cross-border rail ticketing with a single click on phones or computers, directly addressing the fragmented multi-operator booking problem travelers currently face.
- •By 2026, the EU aims to identify investment needs across 40 leading EU destinations to significantly improve their integration with long-distance rail networks, enhancing air-to-rail connectivity.
- •The Commissioner announced the EU is 'very seriously considering' creating an EU Tourism Academy to provide advanced training, upskilling, reskilling in green and digital competencies, and mobility opportunities for young professionals in tourism.
- •A common European data space for tourism — an interoperable framework for sharing high-quality, timely data — was announced to help DMOs manage visitor flows, forecast trends with AI, and redirect pressure from overcrowded to lesser-known destinations.
Transcript
Lovely to be back with you here at the ITV Berlin Convention 2026. How full is the house? Please give us a round of applause to also to our international guests here in the live stream. I do see a lot of new faces here. It's wonderful that you mingle around. This is the magic of ITV of course of the ITV Berlin convention. So again, thanks for being back when we dive now into our next session and when we talk about the big topic of course of transition and how does tourism look in times of transi...
