The project has resulted in a comprehensive report Crises in tourism: Impacts and lessons from European destinations and a practical Crisis management checklist for National Tourism Organisations. Both publications are now available to download, free of charge, from the European Travel Commission.
As a global, interconnected sector with complex supply chains and a high proportion of small and medium-sized businesses, the travel and tourism industry is particularly vulnerable to a wide range of risks, including terrorist attacks, epidemics, pandemics, natural disasters and other risks that challenge tourists’ safety.
As we are all aware, the frequency and severity of different crisis situations in Europe has been increasing in recent years, including those linked to climate change, emerging infectious diseases, and war. The COVID-19 outbreak, in particular, revealed the structural weaknesses in the sector’s capacity to withstand crises. With this in mind, the European Travel Commission (ETC) was keen to map the many types of crisis that can affect European tourism - and better understand which particular crises European destinations are most vulnerable to.
Through in-depth desk research, surveys and interviews of ETC members and an interactive workshop, our aim was to build a contemporary picture of the nature and scale of crises affecting European tourism, and present practical actions that European NTOs could reach for when crisis hits.
Map the types of crises that can affect the tourism sector and in particular, European destinations.
Explore the ways in which crises are changing in terms of their nature and scale, and examine how the role of the NTO can evolve to meet new challenges.
Present a range of case studies of best practices in crisis preparedness and response from across Europe.
Engage with a wide range of ETC members in order to gather practical insights and guidance on how the project’s findings could best be adapted to the needs of European NTOs.
Present a highly practical checklist of actions for European NTOs to follow before, during and after a crisis situation, based on rigorous international frameworks in crisis management.
Our aim throughout the project was to ensure that the findings and recommendations would be highly practical and applicable to the remit and capabilities of European NTOs. While European tourism is generally resilient (and European countries are often much better resourced and prepared to respond to major crises than developing countries), major crises (the conflict in Ukraine and extreme weather events to name just two) continue to exert their influence on tourism in Europe.
Tourism management structures vary enormously across Europe, reflecting national governance structures - and National Tourism Organisations are often in a crucial position to coordinate national partners and articulate what is happening to international consumers and the media. Levels of preparedness also vary considerably, so we were keen to ensure that the outcome of this project would be a highly practical checklist that all NTO teams could grab and feel confident in putting into practice.
Throughout the project, we carried out in-depth research to help draw parallels between crises and tourism demand, as well as to understand - through surveys and interviews - what lessons NTOs could draw from recent crises that they’d had to deal with. We put all of this to the test during a highly engaging and interactive workshop held at the ETC’s General Assembly meeting in Kaunas, Lithuania, where CEOs and senior executives from NTOs across Europe reviewed and refined crisis response and recovery actions that would help their colleagues across Europe.
In depth analysis of the relationship between major crises and tourism demand, its effect on supply and what lessons can be learned from this.
Comprehensive mapping of crises affecting European tourism, including examples of crisis impacts.
Diverse best practice case studies from European destinations with key takeaways and recommendations.
Identification of the fundamental ways in which NTOs can and should respond to major crises.
Practical checklist of actions to take before, during and after a major crises - set out in four key sections for quick reference.
The ETC published both reports in September 2024:
- Crises in tourism: Impacts and lessons from European destinations and
- Crisis management checklist for National Tourism Organisations.
Both publications are now available to download, free of charge, from the European Travel Commission.
