Press releases
As the end of the EU-funded SUSTOUR project draws near, we remind interested stakeholders to register for the final hybrid event, "Empowering European Tour Operators for Sustainable Futures”.
The event aims to present compelling sustainability stories, understand challenges, highlight key success factors, inspire other companies, exchange experiences, and celebrate the remarkable achievements of the SUSTOUR companies that have enrolled for the 1-year support programme financed by the EU COSME programme.
28/08/2023 Empowering European Tour Operators for Sustainable Futures
Final hybrid event of the SUSTOUR Project, Cascais, Portugal - 13-14 September 2023
The grand finale of the EU-COSME funded SUSTOUR project, an ambitious 3-year endeavour aimed at promoting sustainable practices within the European tourism industry, is set to take place on September 13th and 14th in Cascais, Portugal. The final event will showcase achievements and best practices of travel agents and tour operators who have successfully integrated sustainability into their business and operations.
Almost 100 representatives of travel agencies and tour operators from all of Europe participated in a workshop to take stock of the situation in Rhodes and Corfu. Holiday demand in these islands is still strong and the current situation requires a good knowledge of the suppliers and connection with local organizations and authorities.
On Monday 19 June 2023, DG MOVE, the transport department of the European Commission, has presented policy options under consideration for the upcoming MDMS Regulation. ECTAA was amongst a large group of stakeholders representing Europe’s mobility ecosystem including consumers and passengers, environmental groups, independent rail operators and ticket intermediaries that have pushed for an ambitious Regulation since the presentation of the MDMS initiative two years ago. The now presented policy options do not only lack ambition, but most of all political will.
13/06/2023 The Association of Incoming Tour Operators of Ukraine officially part of ECTAA
ECTAA was very pleased and honoured to welcome Marina Antonyuk and Olena Kazmina, President and Vice-President of AITO respectively as well as Natalya Vasylenko, Head of Tourism Development Department of the State Agency for Tourism Development of Ukraine, to the ECTAA semi-annual meeting, which took place on 8-12 June in Riga.
The European travel agents’ and tour operators’ community deplores the lack of ambition of the European Commission to impose equal obligations on players in the travel value chain.
At the eve of the Summer break, , the European travel agents’ and tour operators’ community debated in Riga the attempts of the European Commission to review legislation on Protection of Passengers and the Package Travel Directive. The current rules are being reviewed to ensure their resilience to extensive travel disruptions, such as those that have occurred during the Covid-19 pandemic.
08/06/2023 Open letter to EVP Timmermans on the Multimodal Digital Mobility Services - Friends of MDMS call for ambition, halfway measures are unacceptable
A broad coalition of stakeholders representing a significant part of Europe’s mobility ecosystem, including consumers and passengers, environmental groups, independent rail operators and ticket intermediaries have sent an open letter to Frans Timmermans, Executive Vice President of the European Commission regarding the upcoming Regulation on Multimodal Digital Mobility Services (MDMS) calling for an ambitious proposal in the interest of European travellers and to reach the EU climate goals.
ECTAA and the Cyprus Deputy Ministry of Tourism are happy to announce the successful conclusion of their joint campaign, featuring a captivating webinar series aimed at promoting Cyprus as a premier travel destination. The webinars were specifically tailored for travel agents and advisors who are members of national travel agent associations in Bulgaria, Hungary, Italy, Romania, Poland, and the Czech Republic.
The European Travel Agents' and Tour Operators' Association (ECTAA) and the Tourism Department of the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia (LIAA) are delighted to announce a collaborative campaign aimed at promoting Latvia as an exceptional travel destination to ECTAA members and beyond.
With its captivating blend of attractiveness, cultural and historical heritage, convenient traffic connections, compactness, and breath-taking natural landscapes, Latvia offers every traveller a unique and unforgettable experience.
ECTAA and Cyprus Deputy Ministry of Tourism have announced a joint campaign to promote Cyprus as a destination to ECTAA members. The campaign will feature a series of webinars specifically designed for travel agents and advisors who are members of national travel agent associations in Bulgaria, Hungary, Italy, Romania, Poland and the Czech Republic. The webinars will offer valuable advice and insights to help travel agents and advisors provide exceptional service to their customers.
In a move to respond to the digital transition of the tourism industry, 20 organisations representing the travel and tourism sector at European level agreed to sign a Code of Conduct on data sharing in the tourism sector. This non-binding document clarifies the main aspects to consider in data sharing agreements and should help to build trust and foster data sharing agreements.
28/02/2023 Mobility stakeholders call for an ambitious MDMS Regulation
Today, the European Commission’s Directorate General for Transport and Mobility (DG MOVE) presented its vision for a crucial upcoming piece of legislation – the Regulation on Multimodal Digital Mobility Services (MDMS). The undersigned organisations, representing diverse interests from across the mobility sector (such as consumers, business travelers, rail new entrants, travel intermediaries) express their strong support for this initiative.
27/02/2023 New sustainability tools for tour operators launched at ITB
SUSTOUR will present new sustainability tools specifically developed for tour operators and showcase best practices of Travelife awarded tour operators at ITB.
The EU-COSME funded SUSTOUR project is gearing up for the world’s leading travel trade fair ITB Berlin to present the project objectives and achievements so far, bring together participating tour operators and travel agents from across Europe and to showcase the tools developed in the frame of SUSTOUR.
26/12/2022 Greece 2022 #whatasuccess!
With almost 30 million tourists in 2022, Greece experienced a record-breaking year. Greek tourism is boosting the country’s economy and supporting it in a time of crisis. As ECTAA’s preferred destination for 2022, the travel agents and tour operators organisation is pleased to have contributed to this success.
19/12/2022 December in Greece: A perfect end to a record-breaking year
While celebrating a record-breaking year as regards foreign tourism, Greece, the ECTAA’s Preferred Destination 2022, is setting a proactive strategy to become a year-round destination. Travel advisors demonstrated their interest to show that Greece is also about cheerful fires blazing in traditional fireplaces
07/12/2022 Joint call for a mandatory insolvency protection scheme in the airline sector
29/11/2022 The future of package travel at stake
At the ECTAA meeting in Thessaloniki last week, national associations, tour operators and travel agents expressed grave concerns about the direction of the legislative measures considered by the European Commission. Indeed, the European Commission is currently undertaking consultations in view of revising the Package Travel Directive and improving passenger rights.
23/11/2022 European travel agents and tour operators meet in vibrant Thessaloniki
Greece is a year-round destination and this should be known says ECTAA,. Putting words into action, the association is holding on 24 and 25 November its autumn meeting in Thessaloniki, with the support of FedHATTA (Hellenic Association of Travel Agents and Tourist Agencies), the Greek National Tourism Organisation and the Central Macedonia and the City of Thessaloniki.
26/10/2022 Tour operators want European legislation to match with reality
05/07/2022 629 travel companies signed up for sustainability training and/or certification programme
A call for SME applications has been launched beginning of March 2022 to select a minimum of 175 tour operators and travel agents that will benefit from a comprehensive technical support programme to help them improve their sustainability performance. More than 730 applications have been received and after evaluation by an independent evaluation committee, 629 SMEs from 35 countries have been selected and signed up to the support programme.
Frank Oostdam, President of the Dutch Association of Travel Agents and Tour Operators (ANVR), has been elected today as President of the travel agents and tour operators of Europe.
During its semi-annual meeting held on 9 and 10 June in Nicosia, the representatives of the travel agents and tour operators of Europe elected Frank Oostdam, Netherlands, as President for a two-year term. Heli Mäki-Fränti, Finland, was elected Vice-President and Marios Kammenos, Greece, was re-elected Treasurer. The delegates also thanked Pawel Niewiadomski, the outgoing president, for his commitment and achievements during the Covid-19 pandemic.
17/05/2022 Towards free movement of travellers within and into Europe
Resilience of the EUDCC System is Critical for EU Tourism Crisis Preparedness
The European Tourism Manifesto alliance, the voice of the travel and tourism sector in Europe, welcomes the ongoing progress of the revision of the EU Digital COVID Certificate (EUDCC) Regulation. While we strongly support countries in their efforts to progressively remove restrictions in the current phase, it is useful to keep the EUDCC at hand in case of a possible resurgence.
We also note that the EUDCC framework has become an international reference standard in which an increasing number of third countries participate.
05/05/2020 Support programme to help travel companies become more sustainable – last chance to apply!
Travel agents and tour operators interested in improving their sustainability performance can apply until 10 May to obtain access to free training and personal coaching provided in the frame of a one-year technical support programme funded by the EU COSME programme and co-financed and supported by numerous travel associations, including ECTAA.
02/05/2022 Webinars #all I want is Greece
ECTAA and the Greek National Tourist Organisation are jointly organising a series of four webinars dedicated to different s dedicated to different source markets. All four webinars will inform about the "sustainable tourism offer in Greece" as well as highlighting several aspects of "experiencing Greece differently". Speakers from the industry will present for a B2B audience how Greece is adapting to match new demands from the consumers.
08/04/2022 Greece: ECTAA’s Preferred Destination for 2022
While the political and economic context remains difficult for the whole tourism industry, 2022 will hopefully be synonym of recovery for travel and tourism in Europe. To turn hopes into reality, the Greek National Tourist Organisation and ECTAA signed an agreement to make Greece the Preferred Destination of the European umbrella association of travel agents and tour operators.
With the agreement, ECTAA pledges to promote Greece as its Preferred Destination among the 70.000 travel agents and tour operators across Europe, highlighting the loving and hospitable locals, the stunning coastlines, beautiful islands, delicious cuisine and high-quality tourism infrastructure that offer memorable holidaying throughout the year: #AllYouWantIsGreece will become familiar for many European travellers.
17/03/2022 Position on the European Commissions New Regulation on EU Digital Covid Certificate
70 public and private travel and tourism organisations propose several amendments to the new EU Digital COVID Certificate Regulation with the aim to secure the freedom of movement across the continent and guarantee harmonised rules when the Certificate is in use.
The European Tourism Manifesto alliance, the voice of the travel and tourism sector in Europe, welcomes the European Commission’s proposal that amends and extends the use of the EU Digital COVID Certificate (EUDCC) to facilitate free movement during and in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.
ECTAA and a number of its member associations are participating in the EU-funded SUSTOUR project that fosters the uptake of sustainability tools and practices among travel agents and tour operators. A call for SME application has been launched today with the aim to select 175+ European small and medium sized enterprisesthat will obtain technical support for the implementation of sustainability practices.
02/03/2022 The European Travel Agents’ and Tour Operators’ Association expresses its solidarity with the Ukrainian people and its travel trade partners
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has stunned the whole world. There is no justification for such an attack on a sovereign country, killing and displacing many innocent Europeans.
Travel and tourism stand for peace and cultural understanding. ECTAA deeply condemns Russia’s attack on Ukraine. We urge for a swift and peaceful end to the terrible conflict.
04/02/2022 ECTAA endorses the Toulouse Declaration on future sustainability and decarbonisation of aviation
The Toulouse Declaration is the result of a collective and constructive work and was unanimously agreed and endorsed by the EU and all its Member States as well as a wide range of associations representing the broader aviation eco-system. Europe is the first region in the world to make such a commitment not only in terms of objectives, but also wider stakeholder engagement to which ECTAA has proudly contributed.
25/01/2022 Transport and tourism associations reiterate their call for EU Member States to align their travel rules to avoid patchwork
Passengers and business alike need a stable and coherent European framework to restart travelling and safely prepare for spring
In the last few weeks, Europe has seen a surge in COVID cases and the spread of the latest and highly transmittable variant, Omicron. Whilst the European Commission announced in December 2021 that the EU Digital COVID Certificate (DCC) would be valid for nine months without a booster shot, several EU countries – including France, Italy, Denmark and Malta – decided to shorten the validity of vaccination passes for national use to seven or three months. A number of countries have also introduced additional testing requirements that apply to vaccinated/recovered EU travellers, going against the current Council Recommendations.
07/01/2022 Re-starting tourism amid the pandemic: Croatia an example in Europe
With almost 14 million tourists in 2021, Croatia experienced a successful year reaching 75% of figures of 2019, which was a record year for Croatian tourism. As ECTAA’s preferred destination for 2021, the travel agents and tour operators organisation is pleased to have contributed to this success.
17/12/2021 Travel and tourism stakeholders call on European governments to avoid holiday travel chaos
European travel is on hold again due to the erratic and reckless decisions of governments to reintroduce travel restrictions on vaccinated travellers despite scientific evidence that they have no impact on the spread of the Omicron variant in Europe.
Travel and tourism stakeholders react to the reintroduction of travel restrictions for fully vaccinated travellers by several Member States in response to the new variant Omicron
10/12/21 Global Travel Agency Associations Agree – Closing Borders is Not the Answer
When elected officials make public policy decisions in the interest of public health, those governments have an obligation to provide financial resources to those industries and individuals most affected by their decisions. Closing borders and implementing new restrictions affects untold millions of employees in the travel and tourism industry.
22/11/2021 Urgent alignment and coordination of Member States’ health and travel policy responses required
Ahead of the approaching festive season, a broad group of key travel and tourism stakeholders, including ECTAA, is urging again Member States to better coordinate and align their health and travel policy responses to avoid re-imposing restrictions to the freedom of movement across Europe.
10/11/2021 ECTAA Aligns with other sector leaders to sign the Glasgow declaration on climate action in tourism
ECTAA announced today that it has become a signatory of the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism. The Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism unites travel and tourism behind a common set of pathways for climate action, aligning the sector with global commitments and catalysing collaborative solutions to the many challenges facing businesses and destinations globally. The Glasgow Declaration encourages the acceleration of climate action in tourism by securing commitments to reduce emissions in tourism by at least 50% over the next decade and achieve Net Zero as soon as possible before 2050. The Declaration was officially launched at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) last week.
The Covid 19 pandemic has been, by far, the worst crisis to date for the travel industry. It has also highlighted the shortcoming of the existing EU legislations governing the sale of travel and transport services. In 2021 the European Commission has announced that it will review the existing Package Travel Directive and consider a possible revision of the text. With this mind, ECTAA, the European Travel Agents’ and Tour Operators’ Association, publishes today its position on the upcoming review of the Package Travel Directive (PTD)
19/10/2021 Travel and tourism stakeholders’ position on lifting unnecessary travel restrictions
With the summer now behind us, Europe is entering a different stage in its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. 74% of EU adults are now fully vaccinated and vaccination efforts are ongoing throughout Europe. Despite the continued spread of the virus at community level, the impact of the pandemic on public health has been brought under control within the EU
01/10/2021 Airlines finally commit to respecting EU consumer rights
eu travel tech, the industry association for technology travel services and ECTAA, the European travel agents’ and tour operators’ association, welcome the announcement of the European Commission and the Consumer Protection Cooperation Network regarding commitments made by 16 major European airlines on their cancellation and reimbursement practices. This outcome is a result of a collective action launched by CPC authorities in February 2021
16/09/2021 Greece most visited European destination this summer
Greece welcomed more than two million visitors during the summer season marking real success in its vital tourism industry despite the pandemic still very present across Europe. The European travel agents and tour operators community is pleased to have contributed to this remarkable results.
13/09/2021 Agency Trade Associations Speak with One Voice on Pandemic Recovery
ASTA, ABTA, ACTA, CHTA and ECTAA) collectively representing the hundreds of thousands of people who work at travel agencies and related businesses around the world, call on government leaders globally to align and make safely restarting international travel occur by opening borders an immediate priority.
According to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), in 2019, travel and tourism was one of the world's largest sectors, accounting for 10.4% of global GDP (USD $9.2 trillion), 10.6% of all jobs (334 million), and was responsible for creating 1 of every 4 new jobs across the world.
