Under normal circumstances, coastal areas in Europe attract more than one-third of European tourism businesses — generating almost 1 million jobs and €67.2 billion in turnover in 2017 (+25.7% compared to 2009) — and are important for growth and jobs, in particular for young people (45% of workers between 16-35 years old).
Nonetheless, coastal tourism businesses — many of them being SMEs — still face diverse challenges, namely: seasonality; sustainability; skills shortages; accessibility.
Our position paper analyses these challenges and presents possible solutions to tackle them, including:
- Stimulate business performance
- Overcoming insularity
- Skills and innovation
- Improving accessibility
- Facilitating access to EU funding
Click here to read the HOTREC Position Paper on “Coastal Tourism: challenges & opportunities”.