Speaking at the European Tourism Forum, which was organised at the Golden Sands Hotel in Malta, European Commission vice-president Antonio Tajani, who is also Commissioner for Industry and Entrepreneurship, said that one way in which the EU can attract more tourists from other continents is by facilitating visa requirements.

"For instance, this could be done by providing a visa to the leader of a group on behalf of a large contingent, rather than asking for all members of the same group to apply for a visa before travelling,” he said.

Commissioner Tajani said that Europe should look to entice more visitors from Russia and China and stressed that more should be done to ensure that Europe is an attractive all-year-round destination. “Tourism is estimated to generate over 5% of the EU’s GDP and provide jobs for around 10 million people. However, to continue its growth, Europe’s tourism industry must look across its shoulders to countries such as Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC) and entice visitors from these four countries, whose economies are on a constant rise. "

"Although North America is still by far the largest market in terms of incoming tourists to Europe, followed by Japan and Russia, China has the greatest potential, with a population of just over 1.3 billion and a growth rate of tourism expenditure concerning outbound tourism of 21%,” he said.

Commissioner Tajani said that tourism figures for 2010 have shown that the industry’s recovery following the economic recession is underway, despite problems such as the eruption of the Icelandic volcano back in April.

When compared to 2009, this year saw an increase of visitors to Europe by as much as:
• 9% from North America
• 8% from Japan
• 18% from Russia
• 19% from China
• 46% from Brazil

"To seize the opportunities of new markets and strengthen its leading position, Europe as a destination must prove that it can combine high quality with sustainability,” Commissioner Tajani said. His thoughts were echoed by Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, who paid a visit to the forum in the morning, and Tourism Parliamentary Secretary Mario de Marco.

The latter remarked that Europe is currently at a “crossroads”, looking into “how to confront new and old challenges. "For instance, whereas people would plan their holidays six to three months before actually flying, nowadays people plan their holidays a few days or weeks before."

“Member states need to keep abreast with the latest developments to cope well in an increasingly competitive market,” said Dr de Marco. He acknowledged that the visa barrier can sometimes deter visitors from visiting certain European countries. “This is why more Russian tourists, to give an example, prefer to visit Turkey rather than Spain, since they require a visa to visit the latter country.”

Commissioner Tajani concluded the forum by mentioning that the EU can improve its number of visitors by building a common vision of “decarbonisation of travel and transport”, promoting regional identities and developing innovative transnational projects.