CURRENT ACTIONS:
ETC is committed to contributing to improving EU-wide statistics and indicators for tourism. We acknowledge that using traditional KPIs such as arrivals and over-nights is not the best way to measure the health and sustainability of the tourism industry, so we are committed to looking into new indicators to get a more holistic view. New ways to measure performance in tourism is an important ongoing discussion in the ETC Market Intelligence Group and its Steering Committee, and ETC has already begun introducing more qualitative indicators in research studies in 2024, such as online sentiment tracking.

The need for more available data and creating a system for its collection represents an essential challenge for tourism. There is a specific need for reliable data, indicators, and tools for destinations to build a consistent roadmap toward Net Zero in tourism. Likewise, tourism stakeholders demand standard tools and coordinated frameworks for calculating GHG emissions.

We have also collaborated with the European Commission, as well as ForwardKeys, Modul University Vienna and City Destinations Alliance, to create a European Data Space for Tourism. We look forward to seeing how this online platform will enable all sector stakeholder groups (e.g., SMEs, governmental agencies, technology firms, and tourism entities at the national, regional, and local scales of operation) to share and access the data they require when they need it.

FUTURE ACTIONS:
As the umbrella organisation of National Tourism Organisations across Europe, we are uniquely positioned to facilitate data collection across the continent. ETC’s new climate action working group, Chapter Earth, has been tasked with revising and harmonising data and indicators in the EU framework by compiling and sharing Members’ data related to climate action. We will also foster long-term partnerships within the Glasgow Declaration Community and One Planet Network, which will include the sharing of data. 

ETC aims to create an online platform for members which will facilitate the sharing of data, resources and best practices. This platform could gather climate action-related data from comparable NTOs, allowing for a benchmark research project on European and global climate action in tourism.

OUTPUT:
We will create an online platform for members to access data, best practices and resources.
We will implement innovative KPIs to measure the sustainability of European tourism.

TIME:
In 2024, ETC began working on compiling members’ climate commitments, with a view to creating an online platform late in the year. In 2025, ETC and Chapter Earth will consider creating a public version of the platform. 

From 2024, we are already using more qualitative KPIs in research publications. We will continue to do so and transition further to sustainable indicators in the coming years.