Abstract:

Tourism is a sector with a significant impact on the European economy and society, and despite its rapid decline during the pandemic, the tourism industry has almost recovered to pre-COVID levels. The EU tourism industry has the largest number of international tourist arrivals in the world (Statista, 2023), and it contributes a significant share of Europe’s economy, approximately 10% of its GDP (WTTC, 2019). Besides, the number of people employed in tourism in the EU is also significant, exceeding 12 million, while the percentage of persons employed in tourism industries as a share of those employed in non-financial business economy reaches 10% in the EU (EUROSTAT, 2019).

An industry of this size could not avoid having a significant environmental impact. Around 5% of greenhouse gas emissions are caused by tourism-related activities, which are expected to double in the next 25 years (EU, 2017). In addition, tourism can be responsible for the overexploitation of natural resources, first and foremost water, air, and water pollution, and erosion of the natural environment and ecosystems. Although the tourism industry has a share in the environmental damage, it is also directly affected, as it is primarily based on natural beauty (e.g., mountains, sea, beaches, and air quality). It is, therefore, essential for tourism to change direction and focus on the protection of the natural environment, as the current profit-driven direction seems to be self-destructive.

Developing green skills and creating green jobs – i.e., skills and professions that contribute to preserving and protecting the environment – in the tourism sector could reduce its environmental footprint and reduce the risk of its decline due to environmental degradation, as it would train and prepare people with a “green” mindset and the appropriate skills to enhance the sustainability of the sector. This would also create new job opportunities, thus providing the potential to reduce the unemployment rate, especially for the youth population. Apart from creating green jobs, a shift to more sustainable and environmentally friendly tourism would also greatly benefit the environment.

The influence of the tourism industry is stronger in southern EU countries, such as Italy, Greece, North Macedonia, and Turkey, which are known worldwide for their attractions, beaches, landscapes, and food, rendering them popular destinations for tourists from all over the world. These countries have a higher potential of benefiting from a national agenda promoting the transformation of the tourism industry with more sustainable practices.

This work aims to present a broader green tourism agenda focused on sustainability and upskill young prospective workers developed by collaborating with municipal employees and NGO experts. This objective is in line with current major EU priorities but also with the priorities of the local municipalities chosen for carrying out the multi-case study research. The proposed agenda was designed based on the insights uncovered during the identification of strategies and policies currently being used at municipal levels that were identified through a set of national co-creation workshops and multi-case studies among Italy, Greece, North Macedonia, and Turkey. The results and findings were then critically analyzed by discussing their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (i.e., SWOT analysis), and a set of common problems and challenges were also identified.

Keywords:

Green tourism, Multi-case study, Sustainable development, Europe.