News
26 January 2026
Celebrate European Tourism Day: Explore Europe Live!
News
26 January 2026
Adventure tourism
Coastal, maritime and inland water tourism
Cultural tourism
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Don't miss the chance to explore the beauty and diversity of Europe! Tune in today for the European Tourism Day livestream, where industry experts and enthusiasts unite to celebrate and promote Europe's rich cultural heritage and travel brilliance.
European Commission
Topics
Albania
Armenia
Austria
Belgium
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bulgaria
Croatia
Cyprus
Czechia
Denmark
Estonia
EU-27
Finland
France
Georgia
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Iceland
Ireland
Italy
Kosovo
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malta
Moldova
Montenegro
Netherlands
North Macedonia
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Serbia
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Türkiye
Ukraine
Other
Academic / Research and VET Institutions
Business Support Organisation
Company with 250 or more employees
Cluster Organisations
Consumer Organisations
Cultural and Heritage Organisations
Destination Management & Marketing Organisations
EU Institutions
Financial Institutions and Investors
Industry Associations and Chambers of Commerce
International Organisations
Local Authorities
Media / Journalist Organisations
National authorities
Networks and Federations / Confederations
NGOs / Non-profits
Notified Bodies
Regional Authorities
SMEs (a company with less than 250 employees)
Social Economy Entity
Trade Unions
Other
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Specific types of tourism
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Adventure tourism
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Coastal, maritime and inland water tourism
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Cultural tourism
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Ecotourism
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Education tourism
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Festival tourism
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Gastronomy tourism
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Health and medical tourism
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MICE tourism
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Mountain tourism
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Religious tourism
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Rural tourism
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Sports tourism
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Urban/city tourism
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Wellness tourism
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Transition Pathway Strategic Areas
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Accessible tourism services
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Best practices, peer learning and networking
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Changes in tourism demand and opportunities
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Circularity of tourism services
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Coordinated information on travelling
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Cross-border travelling
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Digitalisation of tourism SMEs and destinations
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Equal and fair tourism jobs
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Funding and support measures
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Governance of tourism destinations
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Green Transition of Tourism Companies and SMEs
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Improving formal education
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Improving statistics and indicators
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Innovative tourism services
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Multimodal travelling
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Online visibility of tourism offer
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Pact for skills
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Promoting PEF/OEF methods for tourism
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R&I on climate-friendly tourism
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R&I on digital tools for tourism
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Short-term rentals
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Skills needs for twin transition
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Sustainable mobility
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Tools for data on tourism
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Tourism strategies
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Training opportunities
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Well-being of residents
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Business activities
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Activities of amusement parks and theme parks
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Activities of associations and other organisations supporting tourism
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Air passenger transport
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Camping grounds, recreational vehicle parks and trailer parks
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Events catering and other food services
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Festivals, cultural and entertainment activities
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Gardens and nature reserves activities
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Holiday Housing / Apartments and other short stay accommodation
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Hotel and similar accommodation
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Mobile beverage services
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Mobile food services
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Museums
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Operation of historical sites
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Other
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Other accommodation
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Other amusement and recreation activities
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Other food and beverage services
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Other holiday reservation services
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Other tourism transportation activities
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Rail Passenger transport
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Recreational and sport activities
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Restaurants, cafes and bars (Food and Beverage serving activities)
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Road passenger transport
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Tour operator activities
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Travel agency activities
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Water (sea, coastal and inland) passenger transport
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Are you ready for a journey across Europe from the comfort of your own home? Join us for the European Tourism Day livestream happening today! This event promises insightful discussions, expert panels, and breathtaking visuals showcasing the best of European tourism. Whether you're an avid traveler or a tourism professional, you'll gain valuable insights into sustainable tourism and discover new travel inspirations. Check out the full agenda here, and be part of the excitement by accessing the livestream here. Don’t miss this chance to dive into Europe's wonders!
#European Tourism Day #Events #Sustainable tourism #Responsible travel #Sustainable destinations #Climate-friendly tourism practices #EU Tourism Strategy #Sustainable tourism planning
Agenda
9:30 - 9:35 Opening and welcome
- Moderator: Olaf Bruns
- Opening speech: Maja Bakran, Deputy Director General, DG MOVE, European Commission
9:35 - 10:05 Present for the future
Panel: Tourism CEOs’ views
- Jean-Philippe Monod de Froideville, CEO Global TravelTech
- Tom Jenkins, CEO of European Tourism Association (ETOA)
- Chema Basterrechea, Global President & COO of Radisson Hotel Group
- Sebastian Ebel, CEO of TUI
10:05 - 11:05 Shaping the future of destinations
Panel: Aligning the European tourism offer with demand
Digital solutions (access to data and AI), new trends (marketing and offer), media (traditional and social media)
- Antonio Barreca, General Director Federturismo Confindustria
- Fabrizio Orlando, Director Government Relations & Public Policy of TripAdvisor
- Mirko Lalli, CEO & Founder, The Data Appeal Company
- Johannes Thomas, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Trivago
- Sunniva Hansson, VP, Head of Policy EMEA of Motion Picture Association
- Caroline Muller, Travel writer, photographer, freelance content creator
11:05 - 11:35 Fireside talk: How to access and how make best use of data
- Moderator: Misa Labarile, Policy Officer, DG MOVE, European Commission
- Dolores Ordonez, Project coordinator of D3 Hub and DEPLOYTOUR
- Sandra Carvao, Director Market Intelligence, Policies and Competitiveness at UN Tourism
- Quim Martínez, VP, Tourism Segment Global Lead at Mastercard
11:50 - 12:55 Tourism for tomorrow: the EU Sustainable Tourism Strategy
Keynote speech: Apostolos Tzitzikostas, Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism
Political debate: Pioneering European tourism for tomorrow – priority actions
- Apostolos Tzitzikostas, Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism
- Kostas Koumis, Deputy Minister of Tourism, Cyprus
- Elena Kountoura, Member of the European Parliament, Vice President of TRAN
- Shaikha Nasser Al Nuwais, Secretary-General UN Tourism
- Mato Franković, Mayor of Dubrovnik Alexandros Vassilikos, President of HOTREC
- Eric Drésin, Secretary General at ECTAA
14:30 - 15:30 The accessible destination: strategic mobility, accessibility, and the path to rebalance tourism flows
Panel: Towards more balanced and accessible tourism Mobility (urban and rural mobility), unbalanced tourism (seasonal/territorial distribution and the locals’ perspective), accessibility (inclusion and accessibility in tourism)
- Axel Volkery, Head of Unit Innovation & Research, DG MOVE, European Commission
- Luis Campos, Turismo de Portugal and chair of T4T Horizontal TaskForce "Unbalanced Tourism"
- Jelmer Peter, Program Manager visitors economy, Amsterdam City Anton Nikitin, Chief Sustainability Officer, City of Vilnius
- Ance Svajnzger, General Manager East Europe & Caucasus at Intrepid Travel
- Nikos Mertzanidis, Executive Director, Europe, CLIA - Cruise Lines International Association
15:30 - 16:00 Fireside talk: Capitalising on the future: How to unlock private investment in tourism
- Moderator: Andrea Beltramello, Head of Unit, Savings and Investments Union Coordination, DG FISMA, European Commission
- Bobby Demri, Founder and Managing Partner, Roch Ventures
- Susanna Chiu, Head of Amadeus Ventures at Amadeus IT Group
- Michael Gregory O'Hara, Founder & Senior Managing Director at Certares Management LLC
16:20 - 17:20 The regenerative shift
Panel: Making sustainability a competitive advantage Sustainability, resilience, regenerative tourism
- Mònica Santa Eulàlia, Head of Tourism model unit at Agència Catalana de Turisme
- Maiju Viiki, Account Manager at Visit Tampere - 2026 European Capital of Smart Tourism
- Isabel Yglesias, Member of the European Economic and Social Committee
- Romana Tomić, Senior Associate at DEŠA, Dubrovnik Chiara Solimini, Space Downstream Market Officer, EUSPA
- Thodoris Tzoumas, Mayor of Skiathos Island, Greece
17:20 - 17:30 Destination Europe: our tourism, our brand
- Eduardo Santander, Executive Director, European Travel Commission (ETC)
17:30 - 17:40 Ukraine: Tourism as a Catalyst for Territorial Resilience and Local Identity
- Alona Shkrum, First Deputy Minister for Development of Communities and Territories, Ukraine
17:40 - 17:50 Closing
- Magda Kopczyńska, Director-General for Mobility and Transport, European Commission
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Simon Pascoe consulting SRL,
Belgium
Will some of the presentations and speeches be shared here from last Monday. Thanks Simon Pascoe