Welcome to the EU Conference on Managing and Promoting Sustainable and Accessible Tourism Destinations

Join leading experts from the European Commission, the UNWTO, the European Environmental Agency, the European Network for Accessible Tourism and many national/regional tourist boards and tourism destination managers for a full-day conference on Managing and Promoting Sustainable and Accessible Tourism Destinations on 28 January 2016 in Brussels.

The tourism sector is amongst the most attractive and dynamic industries in Europe. The European Commission is committed to ensuring that the tourism sector thrives in a way that is sustainable for local communities and businesses while at the same time providing an improved and more diverse visitor experience. In 2013, the European Commission launched the European Tourism Indicator System (ETIS), available for free to all destinations, in order to assess their sustainability and accessibility performance. Over 200 destinations have been engaged on voluntary basis, testing ETIS between 2013 and 2014. Today, best practice examples and results are ready to be shared.

In particular, the conference will provide you with an occasion to hear first-hand accounts on the ETIS assessment from the destinations involved, including representatives from Spain, the Netherlands, France, Montenegro, United Kingdom, Slovenia and the Bulgarian Danube Region, as well as from the Italian urban destination network of Rome, Milano, Florence and Venice.

The conference will also put a specific focus on accessible tourism. You will be able to explore this issue in depth in an interactive World Café style seminar.

Key speakers:

• Carlo Corazza, Head of the Tourism, Emerging and Creative Industries Unit, DG GROW, European Commission
• Dr. Dirk Glaesser, Director Sustainable Development of Tourism, UNWTO
• Stefano Dominioni,  Director of European Institute of Cultural Routes, Council of Europe
• Ivor Ambrose, Managing Director, European Network for Accessible Tourism ENAT
• Roberto Vitali, Founder, Village4All
• Ignace Schops, President of EUROPARC Federation

Organisations represented: Global Sustainable Tourism Council GSTC, NECSTOUR, ACCESSTOUR, Visit England, South Limburg Tourist Board, Anglia Ruskin University, City of Milano, Birmingham City Region, LABturisme Barcelona, Tourism Board Podgorica.

The agenda and other useful information are available at https://etis-jointconference2016.teamwork.fr/.

To reserve your free place at the conference, or for more information on the ETIS toolkit and participating destinations, interview requests and media resources, contact Jill Berger on jill.berger@s-f.com or by phone +32 250 407-95.

Jill Louise Berger
PR Consultant

ETIS conference: Managing and Promoting
Sustainable and Accessible Tourism Destinations