EU ministers discuss plans for quick recovery of tourism sector

European tourism ministers agree that tourism is among the sectors most affected by the COVID-19 crisis and that it should be among the main priorities of the European Union's (EU) recovery plan, the Croatian Presidency of the Council of the EU said in a press release on Monday.

An informal video conference was chaired on Monday by Croatian Tourism Minister Gari Cappelli and attended by his counterparts from all EU member states, as well as by the European Commissioner for the Internal Market Thierry Breton and the Secretary General of the World Tourism Organization Zurab Pololikashvili.

"We will need unprecedented funds to overcome this crisis," Breton said. "We will need fast action, pragmatism and creativity to recover and build a resilient and sustainable tourism industry. But, above all, this crisis calls for solidarity. No country can overcome this crisis alone."

The ministers highlighted tourism revenues' significant contribution to their states' economies. Cappelli said this industry represents 10 percent of the EU's gross domestic product (GDP) and provides jobs for almost 12 percent of all employees in the EU. It is also the fourth export category of the EU, with consumption generating over 400 billion euros in revenue.

That is why, Cappelli noted, it is important to find a joint solution to the crisis of the sector caused by the COVID-19 epidemic and to create plans to ward off similar threats in the future.

Tourism ministers agreed that additional measures should be coordinated at the EU level and that there should be uniform rules for air, sea and land travel.

"As members of the European Union and as part of the most successful tourist region in the world, our mission is to be a leader in the recovery of tourism, which as a horizontal activity directly affects the recovery of the entire economy," Cappelli said, proposing that epidemiologists should be involved in the process of opening "tourist corridors" between EU member states to ensure the safety of tourists.

"We should decide on that before the end of May, if not jointly then between interested countries," Cappelli told local media after the video conference.