Co-creating sustainable tourism with local stakeholders in Europe

Description

A total of 3.1 billion overnight stays were recorded in tourist accommodation establishments across the EU-27. This represents a 2.2% increase compared to 2024. Spain, Italy, Germany, and France alone account for 61.7% of all recorded overnight stays.

EU Member States face the challenge of transforming their tourism models to make them both sustainable and resilient in the face of climate change, while preserving their economic attractiveness. Pressure on resources, increasing seasonality, and climate impacts (heatwaves, water stress, coastal erosion) are weakening many destinations. The workshop will explore ways to support this transition by linking European frameworks and local action, facilitating access to funding, developing operational tools, and establishing shared governance structures.

Initiatives led by local authorities, tourism boards, European projects, and private stakeholders illustrate concrete models, including sustainable visitor flow management, nature-based solutions, diversification of tourism offerings, and public–private cooperation. These initiatives aim to strengthen territorial resilience, support local economic actors, and make sustainable tourism a driver of innovation, competitiveness, and territorial development.

How can Europe build sustainable and climate-resilient tourism with local stakeholders, by connecting on-the-ground projects, territorial governance, and the European framework for tourism transition (2030 Agenda, the 2022 Tourism Transition Pathway, the European Climate Adaptation Strategy) and climate change adaptation?