ETCBULLETinNews from the European Travel Commission Winter 2015-2016

ETC ContinuesCooperationwith theEuropeanCommissionBuilding upon the partnershipstarted in 2012, ETC and theEuropean Commission signed anew cooperation agreementcovering a programme of activitiesto be developed in 2016. The newcontract continues the DestinationEurope 2020 initiative, designed topromote Europe as a touristdestination and strengthen itscompetitive image in overseasmarkets.

The first stage of the jointprogramme of activities (2012-2014) defined a long-term strategyfor ‘Destination Europe’ and wasbased on research andconsultations with the tourismindustry. It was followed by thedevelopment of appropriatecommunication channels, tools andprocesses to reach out to targetsegments throughout 2014.

Continued on page 3

The very first meeting of the new ETCMarketing Group (MKG) took place inBrussels on the 21st and 22nd September2015. The event gathered togethermarketing directors of 17 NationalTourism Organisation members of the ETCas well as representatives from theEuropean Commission, ETC partners andmarketing experts. Elke Dens, MarketingDirector of VisitFlanders, was appointedChair of the MKG. Marketa Chaloupkova

(Czech Tourism) and Angela Barela(GNTO) were appointed Vice-Chairwomenof the group of marketing experts.

The event offered ETC members a uniqueopportunity to shape the marketingstrategy and development of theirorganisations.

Continued on page 7

Marketing Directors United forDestination Europe

About ETC 2

ETC partnerships 3-5• First Associate Members• Calls for visa reform• Tourism for Growth and Jobs Manifesto

ETC marketing activities 6-7• Destination Europe Summit 2015• Digital content marketing strategy

ETC Operations Groups 7-8• New chair of China OG• Brazil OG activities update

ETC research & development 9-11• Tourism performance and outlook • Transnational themes and routes• Europe’s digital appeal• New MCCI study available• New US travel market pilot video

• NTO budgets survey• Calendar of webinars

ETC agenda 2016 12

List of ETC member organisations 12

Contact details 12

CONTENTS

Members of the ETC Marketing Group at the meeting in Brussels.

ABOUT THE EUROPEAN TRAVEL COMMISSION

What is The European TravelCommission?The European Travel Commission (ETC) isthe non-profit organisation responsible forthe promotion of Europe as a touristdestination in long-haul markets.

ETC’s mission is to strengthen thesustainable development of Europe as atourist destination and to increasecompetitiveness, through knowledgegathering and sharing amongst membersand lobbying, as well as by establishing aprofessional marketing platform for thesuccessful promotion of membercountries in overseas markets.

Since When?ETC was established in 1948 to promotethe importance of tourism in revitalisingEurope’s economy after World War II.ETC’s core task has remained unchangedsince its foundation more than 60 yearsago.

Who Are Our Members?ETC’s members are the National TouristOrganisations (NTOs) of 32 Europeancountries, including 24 EU member states.The NTOs of all sovereign states in Europeare eligible for full membership of ETC.

European Union: Austria, Belgium,Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic,Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany,Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia,Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland,Portugal, Romania, Slovak Republic,Slovenia, Spain.

Others: Iceland, Monaco, Montenegro,Norway, San Marino, Serbia, Switzerland,Turkey.

How Does ETC Function?ETC has its headquarters in Brussels,where its Executive Unit is based. Theorganisation is headed by a presidentelected from the directors of its memberorganisations.

Vital to ETC’s activities are its MarketIntelligence Group (MIG) and MarketingGroup (MKG). The MIG commissions andproduces studies, handbooks onmethodologies and best practice, andfacilitates the exchange of Europeantourism statistics. The MKG provides theorganisation with strategic advice onmarketing related aspects.

The work of all the above-mentionedgroups is carried out by experts frommember NTOs.

Where Does ETC Operate?ETC currently promotes and markets theEurope – a never ending journey brandand the VisitEurope.com portal in fourmajor overseas markets: Brazil, Canada,China and the USA. ETC’s focus will shiftgradually towards emerging markets inthe coming years.

The representatives of the European NTOsoperating in these markets join together toform an ETC Operations Group (OG) and electa Chairperson. They decide on a programmeof joint activities for the promotion of Europefor the year ahead, propose a budget, andseek local industry support.

What Are ETC’s Activities?ETC undertakes three basic activities:consumer advertising, market researchand advocacy. ETC initiates marketingactivities to promote pan-Europeanproducts and themes, which arecomplementary to the individualmarketing actions of its members. Itprovides members, industry partners andother interested parties with material andstatistics regarding inbound tourism toEurope and best practices.

ETC also provides a forum for the directorsof the European NTOs to meet regularly andexchange ideas, and it is in constant liaisonwith international organisations such as theUN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO),the European Commission’s Tourism Unit(DG Growth), the Organisation for EconomicCo-operation & Development (OECD) andthe European Tourism Association (ETOA).

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EduardoSAnTAnDERExecutiveDirector

TeodoraMARinSKAHead ofFinance andAdministration

MiguelGALLEGOHead ofMarketing andCommunication

StefanieGALLOBHead ofResearch

iulianiCULiCĂAdministrationProject Manager

GüneşVURALProject Manager- Online Marketing

JenniferiDUHResearchProject Manager

Who is Who at ETC?

Our intern is Lyublena Dimova (UCF Rosen College / iSCTE University Lisbon).

For the first time ever, 24 Europeanpublic and private tourism stakeholders,including the European TravelCommission (ETC), have united and, witha common voice, launched their Tourismfor Growth and Jobs Manifesto on theoccasion of the European Tourism Dayheld on 16th December 2015.

Following extensive consultations,stakeholders representing the travelagents and tour operators, air, rail andground transportation, accommodation,local travel operators, restaurants, bars,cafés , shopping centres, attractions,tourist sites and many others identifiedthe challenges faced by the sectornowadays and formulated concreteactions to tackle these challenges in thecoming years. The actions are listed inthe Manifesto document under eightpriority areas: competitiveness,digitalisation, good governance, jointpromotion, reduce seasonality, skills andqualification, sustainability and transportconnectivity.

The European travel and tourism sectorstakeholders came together to call theEuropean institutions to act on these keypriorities, which seek to ensure that thecontinent remains an attractivedestination and that the tourism sectorcontinues to make a significantcontribution to growth and job creation in

the European economy. In order toformulate effective tourism policies, aholistic European approach is needed,taking into account the multiple impactsof the sector as well as the widespectrum of stakeholders involved in oraffected by tourism.

The document was presented torepresentatives of the Europeaninstitutions at a reception hosted by theConfcommercio Delegation in Brusselsthe week before European Tourism Day.The event was attended by Members ofthe European Parliament (MEPs) Isabella

De Monte (S&D), Cláudia Monteiro DeAguiar (EPP), Ana-Claudia Tapardel(S&D) and István Ujhelyi (S&D) whoexpressed their support for the initiative.Speaking on behalf of the EuropeanParliament, as Vice-Chair of the TRANCommittee and President of the TourismTask Force, Mr Ujhelyi said: “It is ahistorical moment from the point of viewof the European representatives of thetourism sector. This is why we supportedthis initiative and encouraged politiciansand the tourism stakeholders to sit onthe same side of the table. Together, wecan convince the institutions here inBrussels, through concrete actions anddiplomacy.”

The event was also attended by therepresentatives of the EuropeanCommission, Jakub Cebula, Member ofthe Cabinet of EU Commissioner forInternal Market, Industry,Entrepreneurship and SMEs, ElzbietaBienkowska; and Carlo Corazza, Head ofthe Tourism, Emerging and CreativeIndustries Unit, DG Growth. They werereceptive to the initiative, saying that theEuropean Commission will work togetherwith all stakeholders closely in order totry to give appropriate answers to thechallenges set out in the Manifesto.

The full Manifesto is available fordownload at www.tourismmanifesto.eu

ETC Supports the Tourism for Growth and Jobs Manifesto

Representatives of the signing parties and of the EU institutions at the presentation of the Tourism for Growth and Jobs Manifesto.

ETC PARTNERSHIPS

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ETC PARTNERSHIPS

In view of the ongoing debate in theEuropean Parliament regarding theSchengen visa code, the European TravelCommission has called for a reform ofthe way visas are granted to leisure andbusiness travellers. The aim would be toattract an extra €114 billion in exportrevenue and create 615,000 new jobs inEurope by 2020.

Earlier in 2015, ETC commissionedTourism Economics to undertake ananalysis of the impact for continentalEurope of different degrees ofliberalisation (benchmarked against noreform) for 10 priority source marketswhich together account for more thanhalf (53%) of the visa-constrained visits toEuropean destinations.

According to the study, adopting ‘bestpractice’ policies for the ten profiledmarkets would generate 3.4 millionadditional arrivals to Europeandestinations each year by 2020.This would involve a cumulative total of€18.3 billion in associated tourismspending over the period to 2020 and95,000 new jobs.

Offering new visa types, such as an eVisaor visa on arrival, would further reducethe burden on travellers and would helpfuel stronger economic growth in

subsequent years. The impact would be8.5 million more annual visitor arrivals, acumulative total of €45 billion inadditional spending and more than200,000 additional jobs over the period.The largest benefits would flow from acomplete visa waiver for these markets,in which case 21.8 million additional

arrivals per year would be expected. Overthe period to 2020, this would generate€114 billion in new export revenue and615,000 additional jobs, including direct,indirect and induced employment.

At a press conference at the World TravelMarket in London, Mark Henry, Vice-President and Coordinator of ETC’s visaadvocacy work, presented a range ofpractical initiatives to deliver improvedopenness in ways that avoidcompromising security or immigrationcontrol. A week later, ETC srecommendations for action were alsopresented to Members of the EuropeanParliament at a roundtable discussion.

The World Travel & Tourism Council(WTTC), joined with ETC to encouragegovernments to proactively embrace visafacilitation. Helen Marano, Vice-PresidentGovernment and Industry Affairs, WTTC,said that: “Visa facilitation is central tostimulating economic growth and jobcreation through tourism in Europe andworldwide”.

“if we are interested in growing our share of global tourism and capturing thesubstantial economic benefits, there is only one correct path to follow –that of increased openness.” Mark Henry, ETC Vice-President

ETC Calls for a Visa Reform that Would Create €114 BillionExtra Revenue and 615,000 new Jobs

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Press conference at the World Travel Market in London. From left to right: Helen Marano (WTTC),David Goodger (Tourism Economics), Mark Henry (ETC Vice-President) and Peter De Wilde (ETCPresident).

Round table discussion on the visa package in the European Parliament in Brussels. © EuropeanUnion 2015 - Source: EP.

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ETC PARTNERSHIPS

One of the oldest tourism organisations -the European Travel Commission - wascreated in 1948 to advocate theimportance of tourism as an engine forthe European economy. In the lastdecades, ETC has positioned itself at theforefront of the European tourism scene.Following on its mission to strengthen thesustainable development of Europe as atourist destination, ETC recently openedits membership to private organisationsand academia.

The ETC Associate Membershipprogramme focusses on public relationsand advocacy, while granting access tocooperation in marketing and researchactivities on an ad-hoc basis.The ETC General Meeting #90, held inBelgrade on 8th October, approvedapplications from the first four associatemembers of ETC.

A warm welcome to Expedia, Amadeus,Global Blue and Emirates as they join theoldest European tourism association!

ExpediaExpedia, Inc. is one of the world’s leadingtravel companies, with an extensivebrand portfolio that includes some of theworld’s most trusted online travelbrands. Expedia empowers business andleisure travellers through technology withthe tools and information they need toefficiently research, plan, book andexperience travel. In addition, through itsadvertising and media businessesExpedia helps businesses and, amongothers, tourism authorities reach a largeaudience of travellers around the globe.Expedia, Inc.’s companies operate morethan 100 branded points of sale in morethan 60 countries.

EmiratesEstablished inOctober 1985,Emirates hasbecome one of thefastest growing andinnovative international network carriersin the world. Emirates now operate afleet of over 230 Airbus and Boeingaircraft currently serving 148 destinationsin 80 countries. The airline is the world’s

ETC Opens to the Private industrynumber one international carrier byRevenue Passenger Kilometres (RPKs).In 2014-15, Emirates carried 49.3 millionpassengers, up 11% on the previous year,with an average seat load factor of 79.6%.The airline employs over 56,000employees worldwide. Emirates’operations, including the impact of the220 unique connections it offers,supported 85,100 jobs across the EU in2013-14, equivalent to €6.8 billion GDP ofthe total EU GDP.

Global BlueGlobal Blue is the world’s leader inproviding tax refunds to internationaltravellers and global shoppers. Havinginvented the concept of Tax FreeShopping 35 years ago, Global Blueallows travellers to save up to 19% on theworld’s best loved brands when shoppingabroad. The Global Blue Group hasoperations in 43 countries around theworld, catering to over 35 milliontransactions annually in a network of270,000 international merchants,including major luxury brands,department stores, high-street retailers,hotels, supermarkets and smallerindependent brands. As a natural part oftheir business, Global Blue also hasstrong and established long-termrelationships with tourism, customs andtax authorities around the world.

AmadeusAmadeus is a leading provider ofadvanced technology solutions for theglobal tourism and travel industry. In thelast ten years, Amadeus has invested€3.5bn in R&D in technology for traveland tourism. Amadeus connects travelproviders (airlines, railways, rental car,hotels, tour operators, ferries) with morethan 90,000 travel agencies worldwide,processing more than 500 millionbookings per year. Amadeus has itsheadquarters in Spain, France andGermany. Amadeus is actively engagedwith the European Parliament, theEuropean Commission and tourismindustry stakeholders to reinforce thesustainability of the tourism sector.

ETC ContinuesCooperationwith theEuropeanCommissionContinued from page 1

The third stage (2015) of theinitiative utilised the channels andtools developed in the secondphase to market and promoteEurope in source markets througha new approach, both inspirationaland practical and placingparticular focus on pan-Europeanthemes and experiences.

The 2016 action aims to increaseflows of visitors to Europeandestinations through cooperationwith key players from the privatetourism industry. The activitiesincluded a focus on fostering theimage of Europe as a uniquedestination through the promotionof pan-European routes, themesand experiences by means of apilot joint public-private marketingcampaign. This campaign will berolled out on different digitalmarketing platforms under acommon visual identity for‘Destination Europe’. This pilotproject will also serve to elaboratea public-private marketing model.This will set a best practiceexample of how funds for thepromotion of Europe can beleveraged from relevant privateindustry stakeholders through amarketing matching programme.

ETC’s Executive Director, EduardoSantander, and ETC’s Head of Financeand Administration, Teodora Marinska,signing the new contract agreementwith the European Commission.

MARKETING ACTIVITIES

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It is widely said that Europe is the world’snumber one tourist destination but it isopen to question if this assertiondisguises complacency. How do privatesector operators working in thirdcountries think Europe is performing?How important is it for countries to sellthemselves as part of a ‘DestinationEurope package’? What can be doneabout the tax and regulatory problemsthat make Europe difficult to sell?

To answer all these questions, ETC andETOA, the Association for EuropeanInbound Tourism, with the support of theEuropean Commission, hosted a jointconference on how Europe is performingas a destination. The Destination EuropeSummit 2015 took place at the BarbicanCentre in London on October 29th.

Chaired by Professor Tony Travers of theLondon School of Economics, the Summit

featured a presentation by the EuropeanCommission on its tourism policypriorities, a talk by Gideon Rachman ofthe UK’s Financial Times on how Europeis perceived by the rest of the world and a

series of panel discussions on threesource markets - the USA, China andRussia, including leading operators fromthose markets. Original research wasalso released on the day featuring which

ETC and ETOA Conference on Destination Europe

Panel discussion on the origin market Russia.

ETC has always made use of digitalmarketing as the most cost-effectivetechnique to reach out and engage withpotential travellers in long-haulmarkets. From social media to e-mailmarketing, ETC uses a broad portfolio ofdigital platforms to build an onlinecommunity that enables Europeandestinations to connect and buildrelationships with potential travellers byproviding them with the rightinformation in the right format at theright place and at the right time.

ETC’s key online marketing tool is theVisitEurope.com portal. For those with a

boundless desire to travel,VisitEurope.com is a trusted source ofinformation that inspires trulyunforgettable and authentic journeysthat create a lifelong passion forexploring more of the continent.European destinations offer travellerscenturies of history, a magnificentcultural heritage, a diverse range ofcultures, famous attractions andglamourous cities, scenic landscapes, asense of a unique way of life, a richgastronomy and hospitality services ofhigh quality standards. ETC hasidentified 12 pan-European themes asthe main drivers of destination choice to

Europe and, together with all itsmembers and partners, focussescontent development forVisitEurope.com around these themes.

Knowing and understanding who thepotential visitors to Europe are is alsoimperative to maximise theeffectiveness and advertising return oninvestment of content marketing. ETCworks constantly in identifyingdemographics, habits, interests andneeds of potential travellers toEuropean destinations in order toprovide the content and information thatthey need across the different stages ofthe online travel cycle and successfullydeliver Europe’s brand promise.

ETC presented its content marketingstrategy at the UNWTO RegionalConference and Executive TrainingWorkshop on eMarketing in Tourism inQatar on 13th December. Organised bythe UNWTO Themis Foundation andQatar Tourism Authority, the workshopprovided participants with knowledge,skills, tools and a forum for discussionabout current key issues and practicesin online marketing.

ETC’s Head of Marketing, Miguel Gallego, at UNWTO Regional Conference on eMarketing.

Building a Digital Content Marketing Strategyfor Destination Europe

ETC OPERATIONS GROUPS

MarketingDirectorsUnited forDestinationEuropeContinued from page 1

In addition to sharing insights andbest practices in destinationmarketing, participants learnedabout practical solutions throughpresentations of successful casestudy examples by top-levelexperts in branding andbenchmarking.

This first meeting of the ETCMarketing Group also served todiscuss leadership and to set thegoals and priorities that will laythe foundation of Europe’smarketing and promotionalactivities over the coming year.

destinations in Europe are doing well,which origin markets are showing themost promise and why. EduardoSantander, CEO of ETC, said: “With thegrowth of tourists visiting multiplecountries, the joint promotion of Europeis more important than ever. And the bestway we can boost numbers and jobs is byworking with the private sector tounderstand what our potential customerswant. This is a process in which thisconference is a new initiative.”

“For most of our customers, Europe isregarded as a unitary destination. InAmerica, for instance, they have alwaystalked about a ‘European Vacation’. Weneed to look at ourselves as ourcustomers do, and see what virtues andfaults are there that they recognise”, saidTom Jenkins, CEO of ETOA.

You can view the recording of the eventand download market presentations onwww.etc-corporate.com/events

The China Operations Group

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František Reismüller, RegionalDirector of CzechTourism China andDirector of CzechTourism China -Shanghai office, has been appointed asnew Chairman of ETC’s OperationsGroup in China. The appointment wasannounced last October during ETC’s90th General Assembly in Belgrade(Serbia).

Mr Reismüller has a broad experiencein working with Chinese travelagencies as well as in translation,interpretation and journalism. Hegraduated in sinology at the CharlesUniversity in Prague where he is stillpursuing his research in the field ofChinese avant-garde literature.

As the China OG’s new Chair, MrReismüller takes on a significantresponsibility due to the increasingrelevance for Europe of the Chinesetravel market. Since 2012, China hasconsolidated its status as the world’sbiggest spender on tourism productsand services. Chinese tourists spent€124.1 billion on international tourismin 20141, an increase of one-fifth on theprevious year. The total number ofinternational arrivals from China to

Europe is expected to have reached10.9 million in 2015, representing 14%of all Chinese international arrivalsworldwide2. Despite the signs of aslowdown in China’s outstandingeconomic growth, the prospects forChinese travel are still fundamentallypositive. The long-term forecastremains positive as outbounddepartures to Europe are expected tosustain this rate, growing an averageof 4.8% per annum in the period 2015to 20203. At this rate of growth, by2020, Chinese arrivals could be morethan one-fourth higher than currentlevels.

Destinations are making substantialmarketing investments in attractingChinese visitors. With the profile ofChinese visitors skewing more heavilytowards leisure travel, competition forEuropean destinations from otherlong-haul destinations is intense.

1 UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).UNWTO World Tourism Barometer. December20152 European Tourism 2015 – Trends and Prospects(Q2/2015)3 European Travel Commission (ETC). ETCDashboard, data from Tourism Economics 2015

František Reismüller AppointedChairman of ETC’s China OperationsGroup

František Reismüller, Chair of ETC’s China Operations Group

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ETC OPERATIONS GROUPS

Europe inspiresBrazilian TravelTrade, Consumersand MediaEuropean destinations were in theBrazilian travel market spotlight duringthe last quarter of the year thanks to theintensive promotional activities carried outby ETC’s Brazil Operations Group (OG).

Between the 5th and 8th November, theBrazil OG participated in the 27th editionof FESTURIS-Festival do Turismo deGramado, the most important travel tradeexhibition in South Brazil, which this yearwelcomed more than 14,000 trade visitors.Brazil OG members exhibited in a 32m2

stand and hosted representatives fromBelgium, Denmark, Germany, Monaco,Norway, Spain and Switzerland.

The Brazil OG organised a reception forlocal tour operators and travel agents atFESTURIS during which it presented a newonline consumer campaign - Inspire-seagora! - aimed at increasing knowledgeand awareness of European destinationsamong Brazilian travellers. The interactivecampaign website has been built withcontributions from real travellers sharingtheir European experiences to inspire andhelp new potential visitors to plan theirEuropean itinerary.

The Brazil Operations Group

Later in November, members of the BrazilOG participated in the roadshowExperiencia Braztoa, organised by theBrazilian Tour Operators Association.Based on an around-the-world concept,the roadshow visited Salvador, PortoAlegre and Rio de Janeiro and providedlocal tour operators and travel agents withunique capacity building and networkingopportunities with European destinations.The roadshow welcomed more than 250buyers and trade professional especiallyselected by BRAZTOA to attend the eventsin each host city.

The Brazil OG also announced the winnersof the 26th edition of its renownedJournalism Prize at a ceremony in SãoPaulo. The award recognises theoutstanding work of Brazilian journalists,photographers and travel bloggers incommunicating the diversity of Europeantravel experiences throughout the year. Inaddition, the winners in the eight awardcategories took part in a press trip toGermany and Austria in December, duringwhich time they had a unique opportunityto get to improve their knowledge of thetraditional European Christmas markets.

Winners of the Journalism Award 2015. Photo: Felipe Mairowski.

Members of the Brazil Operations Group present their destinations at the roadshow in Salvador.

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The award recognisesthe outstanding workof Brazilianjournalists,photographers andtravel bloggers incommunicating thediversity of Europeantravel experiencesthroughout the year.

In the past decades, the development ofthematic tourism initiatives has grownworldwide and gained importance. Inparticular, tourism routes emerged withthe key aim of bundling tourist attractionsunder a unifying theme for promotionpurposes and to attract visitors to remotetourist locations.

In contrast, tourism themes bring togethera destination’s tangible and intangiblefeatures and are designed to cater tospecific visitor segments pursuing uniqueexperiences on topics such as culture,history, heritage, nature, sports,gastronomy, religion or health. From atransnational perspective, themed tourismproducts enhance synergies, strengthencross-border collaboration and offervisitors an immersive experience through

the kaleidoscopic offer that’s availableacross different countries in Europe and inother regions around the world.

The European Travel Commission (ETC)and the World Tourism Organization(UNWTO) are currently engaging inthoroughly investigating the landscape oftransnational tourism themes andworldwide routes in a new handbook.Aimed at supporting the work of NationalTourism Organisations, the handbook willbe first and foremost focussed on providingmembers and professionals in the fieldwith a thorough understanding of thelandscape of tourism themes and routesand providing practical guidance in orderto market and promote destinationsthrough thematic tourism experiencesand products.

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Destinations in Europe can justifiablylook back over the past year and celebratethe tourism sector’s outstandingperformance.

2015 marked a year of healthy growthfor European tourism, consolidating thefirm increases recorded over the past sixyears and promoting tourism as one ofthe best performing sectors and keygenerator of income and employment.Despite strong headwinds caused bysocio-economic agitations, fluctuatingexchange rates and security concerns,most recent estimates by the UN WorldTourism Organization reveal thatinternational tourist arrivals to Europegrew by 5.1% last year.

This growth in arrivals to Europeandestinations was, in particular, supportedby solid intra-regional demand boosted bythe recovery of many euro areaeconomies: visits from Germany andFrance mirrored the increase inconsumer consumption and improvedconsumer confidence, UK citizensbenefited from the strength of the poundagainst the euro.

Among long-haul markets, the UnitedStates and China confirmed theirpositions as robust generators of travel toEurope. With favourable exchange ratesboosting the affordability of a European

holiday, visitor arrivals from the UnitedStates are expected to have increased by+11% this year. Likewise, travel fromChina to Europe continued at its double-digit pace, accumulating to some 10.9million arrivals in 2015, up +30% from2014. Together, both intra- and extra-European source markets offset thesteady decline in Russian tourismdemand, hurt by a weak economystruggling with dwindling oil prices andshrinking wages.

However, European destinations shouldnot remain idle in this boomingenvironment but persist in fosteringtourism and encouraging visitors fromestablished and emerging source marketsto experience the region. Success will beachieved by capitalising on Europe’spotential to inspire and cater to differentmarkets and travel segments and as wellas by eliminating travel barriers incollaboration with public and privatestakeholders.

RESEARCH ACTIVITIES

Exploring Transnational Tourism Themes and Routes

Monitoring European Tourism Performance 2015 and Outlook 2016

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RESEARCH ACTIVITIES

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ETC’s portfolio of research material is on the rise with newreports and studies widening its online library. ETC recentlylaunched the ETC - UNWTO Study on the Decision-makingProcess of Meetings, Congresses, Conventions and Incentives(MCCI) Organisers, another practical tool the organisationprovided to its members at the end of 2015.

This comprehensive study, aimed at Destination ManagementOrganisations (DMOs) and National Tourism Organisations /Associations (NTOs / NTAs), provides a wide-ranging overviewof the meetings, conferences, congresses and incentivessegments and an in-depth analysis of the factors concerningmeeting planners’ decision-making process with respect todestination and venue selection. This study also offers thereader a compilation of successful MCCI destinations casestudies and the best responses to address challenges andmake the most of the opportunities provided by this growingsector.

The meetings industry continues to thrive and is an essentialsegment experiencing fast growth within the tourism sector.Business tourism remains one of the main purposes of travelworldwide providing countless social and economic benefits; it

is a significant element for futuregrowth of the global economy, anessential element of knowledge-sharing and knowledge-gatheringand a powerful element for fosteringa better understanding andrelations amongst different regionsand cultures.

This industry has receivedincreased attention from countriesand cities and it is expected tocontinue growing in the comingyears. Tourism destinations,particularly the emerging ones,are considerably and successfullyinvesting in the development ofvenues, transportation andaccommodation infrastructures, and facilities with the mainpurpose of attracting business events. In this framework, itbecomes fundamental for tourism professionals to achieve anin-depth understanding of this growing sector and itssegments.

Exploring theDigital Appealof EuropeanDestinationsIn order to improve its services formembers , ETC is continuously seeking toexpand its knowledge by exploring newmethodologies and information sourcesfor the benefit of its members.

In 2015, ETC explored the appeal ofEuropean destinations in the onlinesphere. As the majority of leisuretravellers begin searching online beforethey decide how or where to travel it hasbecome paramount for destinations tounderstand visitors’ expressed interestsonline. Taking advantage of insights thatlarge compilations of data can reveal, thereport derives tourists’ online behaviourand decision-making process whenselecting a destination. At its core, itcomprehensively benchmarks Europeandestinations and their competitionaccording to their online demand, orappeal, overall and across 40 selectedexperiences and target groups.

now available: new ETC – UnWTO Study onthe Decision-making Process of MCCi Organisers

As in the physical world, ‘DestinationEurope’ also ranks 1st in the online world,attracting one third of searches. Leadingdestinations are found in Southern andMediterranean and Northern Europe.However, search data indicates that

Europe’s competitors are catching up,attributed to the higher number ofsearches per actual international arrival.

The report is available for ETC membersonly.

TargetedDecision-making ThroughCollaborativeBenchmarkingCollaboration is one of the corevalues of the European TravelCommission. This is activelyachieved through activitiesdesigned to achieve added valuefor Europe’s diverse destinations.

A role model of this organisationalmotive is the annual NTO BudgetsSurvey, a project showcasing thewillingness of organisations toshare sensitive budgetary andstructural information in order toimprove strategic decision-makingby fostering knowledge.

The NTO Budgets Surveybenchmarks member NTOs onorganisational aspects and budgetallocation. In 2015, 30 ETCmembers contributed to the study.The study has been made possibleas a result of the excellent workthat has been done by FáilteIreland and members of staff in theparticipating NTOs. ETC is gratefulfor their input and would like tothank them for the time they haveinvested to make this researchpossible.

The NTO Budgets Survey is a yearlyreport and serves as a strictlyconfidential benchmarking tool.

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The European Travel Commission islooking into new tools for contentdissemination to provide its members andthe general public with easy andimmediate access to the wealth ofinformation, statistics and material theorganisation collects.

As an initial step, ETC commissioned theproduction of a pilot video - motioninfographic - that features relevantinsights on Europe’s largest sourcemarket, the United States of America.

The pilot video, which is now available onETC’s website, provides key figures for theUS travel market such as US arrivals toEurope, growth rate, share, 2020prospects and also outlines the UStravellers’ profile. In future, ETC intends to

continue engaging in disseminationactivities of this kind in order to provide anoverview of some publications andreports.

Why the US market? A weaker Euro isposing an upturn in demand for long-haultravel from the USA to Europe. In addition,strong macroeconomic indicators suggesta positive recovery in the US in the comingyear as the country shows signs of a solidrebound supported by a stronger USdollar, higher disposable income and anincrease in power spending and businessand consumer confidence. Furthermore,future prospects for this market remainoptimistic with US arrivals to Europeexpected to increase in the coming years.To watch the video, please visitwww.etc-corporate.org

US Travel Market: new Approach toDisseminate Market Facts and Figures

Calendar of Webinars 201627 January Tourism Economics European Tourism – Trends &

Prospects (Quarterly Report)

April Tourism Economics European Tourism – Trends & Prospects (Quarterly Report)

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ETC MEMBER ORGANISATIONS• 79th ETC Board of Directors’ Meeting

Brussels, Belgium, on 27th January

• 2nd ETC Marketing Group Meeting and30th Annual Meeting of the ETC Marketintelligence GroupPrague, Czech Republic, on17th -19th February

• 91st ETC General Meeting and 80thETC Board of Directors’ MeetingAgia Napa / Protaras, Cyprus, on11th-12th May

Disclaimer: whilst every care has beentaken in the compilation of this publicationand the information and statementscontained in it are believed to be correct atthe time of going to press, the publishersand promoters of this publication are notliable for any inaccuracies.

ETC AGENDA 2016

CONTACT ETC

EUROPEAN TRAVEL COMMISSIONRue du Marché aux Herbes 611000 Brussels – BELGIUMtel: +32 2 – 548 9000fax: +32 2 – 514 1843

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• AustriaAustrian NationalTourist Office (ANTO)

• BelgiumFlanders:Visit FlandersWallonia:Wallonie-BruxellesTourisme (WBT)

• BulgariaBulgarian Ministry ofTourism

• CroatiaCroatian NationalTourist Board (CNTB)

• CyprusCyprus TourismOrganisation (CTO)

• Czech RepublicCzechTourism

• DenmarkVisitDenmark

• EstoniaEstonian Tourist Board -Enterprise Estonia

• FinlandVisit Finland - Finpro

• GermanyGerman NationalTourist Board (GNTB)

• GreeceGreek National TourismOrganisation (GNTO)

• HungaryHungarian Tourism Ltd.

• IcelandIcelandicTourist Board

• IrelandFáilte IrelandTourism Ireland Ltd.

• ItalyThe Italian GovernmentTourism Board

• LatviaLatvian TourismDevelopment Agency (TAVA)

• LithuaniaLithuanian StateDepartment of Tourism

• Luxembourg Luxembourg forTourism

• MaltaMalta Tourism Authority(MTA)

• MonacoMonaco GovernmentTourist and Convention Office

• MontenegroNational TourismOrganisation of Montenegro

• NorwayInnovation Norway

• PolandPolish Tourist Organisation(PTO)

• PortugalTurismo de Portugal,I.P.

• RomaniaRomanian NationalAuthority for Tourism

• San MarinoState Office forTourism

• SerbiaNational TourismOrganisation of Serbia (NTOS)

• SlovakiaSlovak Tourist Board

• SloveniaSlovenian Tourist Board

• SpainTurespaña - Instituto deTurismo

• SwitzerlandSwitzerlandTourism

• TurkeyMinistry of Culture andTourism