Resetting the compass: sustainable tourism pathways for Europe’s future
Recent data from the UNWTO confirms that international tourist arrivals in Europe rose sharply in early 2025, surpassing pre-pandemic levels in many regions. While this rebound boosts local economies, it also intensifies longstanding challenges: environmental strain, housing market disruption, over-tourism, and loss of local identity.
In parallel, the European Commission has launched a public consultation on a new EU Sustainable Tourism Strategy open until September 2025, signalling a renewed institutional commitment to transforming tourism systems across the continent. Citizens, stakeholders, and practitioners are now being asked to shape a strategy that aligns tourism with climate neutrality, resilience, and inclusiveness.
In this context, the Sustainable Tourism Action Plan emerges not as a theoretical document, but as a timely operational roadmap. Developed by a wide alliance of cities, regions, national authorities and networks, it includes 6 Actions, already under implementation. These Actions offer place-based solutions to the identified key challenges.
What follows is a deep dive into the most urgent tourism related topics, each seen through the lens of the Partnership's coordinated response.
The climate crisis and tourism’s footprint
Tourism is both victim and vector of climate change. From flooding in Venice to heatwaves in Athens, destinations are already feeling the pressure. Air travel, cruise emissions, energy use in accommodations, and over-reliance on car travel contribute significantly to CO₂ outputs. Coastal and mountain regions are particularly exposed to rising sea levels and biodiversity loss.
Recognising this, Action 1 of the Sustainable Tourism Action Plan is developing guidelines to enable climate-friendly and resilient urban destinations.
These guidelines will be grounded in the Glasgow Declaration’s five pillars: measurement, decarbonisation, regeneration, collaboration, and financing. As of mid-2025, case studies are being collected and analysed, and interviews with successful urban destinations are underway.
The goal? Equip cities with concrete guidance to design local climate action plans for tourism, ones that are both evidence-based and socially embedded.
Sustainability certifications: a pathway for SMEs
While cities shape the stage, tourism SMEs are the actors who bring experiences to life. Yet many lack the capacity to green their operations. Here enters Action 2 of the Action Plan, which supports destinations in enabling the use of sustainability certifications among SMEs.
Rather than reinventing the wheel, the Action builds on existing best practices and successful certification models, such as the EU EcoLabel, Green Key, or GSTC-recognised schemes.
The partnership is currently conducting targeted interviews with destinations and certified businesses to create a digital handbook for DMOs and a curated matrix of credible certifications.
The aim is not just compliance, but visibility: showcasing how certified tourism products and services lead to environmental, reputational and market advantages.
The digital divide in the tourism sector
While digitalisation is transforming the travel experience, from planning and booking to wayfinding and interpretation, many tourism professionals, particularly in smaller cities and rural areas, struggle to keep up. The lack of digital skills limits their competitiveness and their ability to contribute to more sustainable, data-driven tourism ecosystems.
Action 3 responds to this need by developing a digital competence match-making toolkit tailored to tourism professionals, local and regional authorities.
Drawing on European digital policies, existing EU-funded projects, and the Tourism Transition Pathway, the Action focuses on concrete skills: from managing online visibility to using digital tools for improving accessibility.
To ensure the toolkit reflects real-world challenges and capacities, a dedicated survey has been distributed to local authorities and tourism professionals across Europe. The insights gathered will help identify gaps, define priorities, and shape training materials that are both relevant and practical.
Over-concentration and the need for diversification
One core challenge in Europe is over-concentration: too many tourists in too few places. From Barcelona to Heraklion, the burden is heavy. Action 4 tackles this by encouraging cities and regions to diversify their tourism offer, creating resilient, off-season, and locally rooted experiences.
Using best practices and funding models, this action identifies how destinations can spread demand, geographically (rural, peri-urban areas), seasonally (off-peak festivals), and thematically (crafts, gastronomy, heritage trails).
Ensuring tourism is accessible for all
Despite rising awareness, many European tourism services and infrastructures remain inaccessible to people with disabilities, older travelers, and other underserved groups.
Action 5 focuses on improving accessibility in tourism by identifying obstacles and gathering best practices on how to integrate universal design into planning and service provision.
It highlights how accessibility is not only a legal obligation but a competitive advantage contributing to visitor satisfaction, longer stays, and higher return rates.
The vision: support cities and regions in creating environments where everyone can experience tourism comfortably.
The erosion of local identity and retail monoculture
As city centres become dominated by souvenir outlets and multinational franchises, the unique identity of places fades and with it, the authenticity that makes them attractive to visitors in the first place.
Action 6 addresses this issue by supporting cities in developing strategies to protect and revitalise local retail as a cultural and tourism asset.
The Action will actively advocate for local and retail as a key pillar of sustainable tourism, helping cities recognise commercial diversity as a contributor to both place identity and visitor experience.
By gathering examples of successful urban practices and policies, a recommendations document will be developed providing guidance for municipalities and tourism actors on how to maintain vibrant, mixed-use neighbourhoods that serve both residents and visitors.
Towards a more balanced, resilient, and human tourism model
In a year already marked by record-breaking arrivals, environmental pressures, and rising calls for change, this work is both urgent and inspiring. It reflects the understanding that tourism cannot continue on a business-as-usual path, it must evolve in harmony with the cities and communities that host it. The efforts of the Sustainable Tourism Partnership stand as a practical, ambitious, and collaborative example of what is possible.
Because sustainable tourism is not just about managing flows or reducing footprints. It’s about redefining value, strengthening place identity, and ensuring that tourism remains a shared benefit, not a growing burden.