The number of travellers was over 700 million in 2002; a three hundred percent increase in one generation alone. To this figure, we must add an estimated 10 fold increase in the number of domestic travellers. This amount is expected to reach 1.5 billion by 2020, 1.2 of which will be inter-regional and 0.4, long haul travellers. Europe will continue to dominate with a forecast of 717 million tourists, followed by East Asia and Pacific with 397 and the Americas with 282. This is even more significant if we examine historical data which documented 300 million foreign travellers only 20 years ago, when it was estimated that there had been a ten fold increase from the fifties. Tourism in Europe is serviced by about two million companies, especially SMEs that contribute 5% both to the GNP and workforce (COM (2001) 665, p. 4). Europe, therefore, plays a very important role in world tourism, a role which is expected to rise even more than the average economy, even though, with the new EU countries, the economic percentage increase will drop; indeed, whilst in 1995 European tourism accounted for 60% of foreign tourism, by 2020 this percentage is expected to fall to 46%. This is supported by the fact that there appears to be a levelling off of hitherto popular European destinations in favour of emerging countries. In other words, during the ten year period from 1990 to 2000, although world tourism rose by 4.2%, European tourism increased by only 3.4%. Even more evident is the situation in the last three years where Europe has seen an increase of 2.2% against an increase of only 1% in the rest of the world; this is as a consequence of recent political crises and the rise in terrorism. Within Europe itself, there are significant regional discrepancies. Hidden within the afore-mentioned figure of 2.2%, resides a drop of 2.6% in tourism in western Europe, whilst, during the same period, East Central Europe has seen a rise of 9.6% and Southern Europe, 4.4%. This highlights the importance of the new EU entrants who have an indisputable wealth of natural and historical assets to offer.
Galvani A. (2005). The Sustainable Tourism for the Europe of the Third Millennium. BOLOGNA : Biblioteca Bigiavi.
The Sustainable Tourism for the Europe of the Third Millennium
GALVANI, ADRIANA
2005
Abstract
The number of travellers was over 700 million in 2002; a three hundred percent increase in one generation alone. To this figure, we must add an estimated 10 fold increase in the number of domestic travellers. This amount is expected to reach 1.5 billion by 2020, 1.2 of which will be inter-regional and 0.4, long haul travellers. Europe will continue to dominate with a forecast of 717 million tourists, followed by East Asia and Pacific with 397 and the Americas with 282. This is even more significant if we examine historical data which documented 300 million foreign travellers only 20 years ago, when it was estimated that there had been a ten fold increase from the fifties. Tourism in Europe is serviced by about two million companies, especially SMEs that contribute 5% both to the GNP and workforce (COM (2001) 665, p. 4). Europe, therefore, plays a very important role in world tourism, a role which is expected to rise even more than the average economy, even though, with the new EU countries, the economic percentage increase will drop; indeed, whilst in 1995 European tourism accounted for 60% of foreign tourism, by 2020 this percentage is expected to fall to 46%. This is supported by the fact that there appears to be a levelling off of hitherto popular European destinations in favour of emerging countries. In other words, during the ten year period from 1990 to 2000, although world tourism rose by 4.2%, European tourism increased by only 3.4%. Even more evident is the situation in the last three years where Europe has seen an increase of 2.2% against an increase of only 1% in the rest of the world; this is as a consequence of recent political crises and the rise in terrorism. Within Europe itself, there are significant regional discrepancies. Hidden within the afore-mentioned figure of 2.2%, resides a drop of 2.6% in tourism in western Europe, whilst, during the same period, East Central Europe has seen a rise of 9.6% and Southern Europe, 4.4%. This highlights the importance of the new EU entrants who have an indisputable wealth of natural and historical assets to offer.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
